--- Begin Forwarded Message ---
Date: Mon, 04 Oct 1999 20:15:14
From: John Buelow <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: OPACs and 045$b
Sender: John Buelow <[log in to unmask]>


I hope that some of the more experienced among you can advise me about
setting up OPAC display and search functions to handle 045$b, the field in
which we put a date of situation differing from the date of publication.

Although my library has two or three thousand maps for which the 045$b is
required, it is probable that we will never offer distinct means of
searching date of production and date of situation.  The relatively few
records which might make use of a date of situation command are buried in a
database of 2M books.

Given this limitation, here's what I believe should be the case.

(1) Whenever an OPAC search yields several hits, the picklist at present
shows author, title and date.  For map records, the date should be taken
from the 045$b if one exists, not from the 008.

(2) An OPAC search limited by date should, if the record concerns a map and
if an 045$b exists, look to the 045$b not the 008.  In terms of the six
examples which follow my signature line, this means that--

a. A search limited to the period 1750-1800 should yield all of the records
except the first.

b. A search limited to the period 1800-1850 should yield all of the records
except the first two.  On some systems, example 6 may be listed twice; if
the display is sorted in date order, this is probably good.

c. A search limited to the period 1840-1850 should bring up nothing.

d. A search limited to the period 1800-1820 should bring up only the third
example.

e. A search limited to the period 1820-1829 would yield three records,
examples 4, 5 and 6.

(3) If more than one 045 subfield $b exists, the first one should appear on
the picklist.  Some systems may instead show the earliest date, which works
almost as well; but the final example shows why that may not always be
desirable.


My questions:

--Is this pie-in-the-sky?  Have some of you actually been able to persuade
your systems people to make special arrangements for the 045$b?

--Is there a better way to handle picklist date displays?

--Is there a better way to handle date-limited OPAC searches?

--How would the system know when to check a map record 045$b?

--Who besides map catalogers uses the 045$b?


John Buelow
New York Historical Society
[log in to unmask]


EXAMPLES

In your collections, the 045 is most commonly used with maps taking a
history cutter--

EXAMPLE 1

008/06:  s
008/07:  1904
045:0b:$b  d1670
050:b4:$aG3804.N4:2G7S1 1670
245:00:$aMapp of Newyork 1670
260:bb:$a  [ca. 1904]
500:bb:$a  Historical map.  Derived from an original map bearing the same
title and owned by a private collector.  Includes some modern additions.
500:bb:$a  Date of ms. about 1904, based on date and circumstances of
acquisition.


In my collection, many of the maps are manuscript copies of earlier maps.
Unlike example 1, the following examples were drawn in the context of
contemporary property transactions, not from purely historical interest.  I
therefore don't give them a history cutter.
z
EXAMPLE 2

008/06:  s
008/07:  1833
045:0b:$b  d179505
050:b4:$a  G3804.N4:2G7G46 1795
245:10:$c  Casimir Th. Goerck, a true copy by Gardner Sage/
260:bb:$a  1833.
500:bb:$a  Date of situation 1795 May.
500:bb:$a  Date of this ms. copy 1833.  [not a required note]


Copying isn't always acknowledged, so the date of situation may cover a
range of dates, just as the date of production once in awhile does--

EXAMPLE 3

008/06:  m
008/07:  1830
008/11:  1845
045:2b:$b  d1790  $b  d18100312
050:b4:$a  G3804.N4:2G7G46 1790
245:10:$c  by C. Goerck ; [a copy]
260:bb:$a  [Between 1830 and 1845]
500:bb:$a  Date of situation after 1790, based on the presence of Burling
Street.  Date before 1810, based on death of Goerck March 12 of that year.
500:bb:$a  Date of ms. between 1830 and 1845, based on watermark, "Turkey
Mill 1830."  A date early is this period is probable.


Occasionally, MARC 045 takes "1" as its first indicator.

EXAMPLE 4

008/06:  e
008/07:  1833
008/11:  1122
045:1b:$b  d179505  $b  d1827
050:b4:$a  G3804.N4:2G7G46 1795
245:10:$c  Casimir Goerck ; copied with addition by Joseph Bridges ; by
Gardner Sage.
260:bb:$a  1833 Nov. 22.
500:bb:$a  Date of original situation 1795 May; date of modified
intermediate copy 1827.
500:bb:$a  Date of this ms. copy 1833 Nov. 22.


In some circumstances, the 008 date is repeated in the 045, just because it
is itself a discrete date of situation.

EXAMPLE 5

008/06:  s
008/07:  1827
045:1b:$b  d179505  $b  d1827
050:b4:$a  G3804.N4:2G7G46 1795
245:10:$c  Casimir Goerck ; copied by Joseph Bridges.
260:bb:$a  1827.
500:bb:$a  Date of original situation 1795 May; this 1827 copy includes an
addition by Bridges.

EXAMPLE 6

008/06:  s
008/07:  1830
045:1b:$b  d1830  $b  d17990606  $b  d18290903
050:b4:$a  G3804.N4:2G7G46 1830
260:bb:$a  1830
500:bb:$a  Cadastral Map.  Describes the 1830 sale of Alexander Hamilton's
estate.  Annotations refer to accompanying material.
500:bb:$a  Accompanying material: copy of deed to Alexander Hamilton dated
1799 Jun. 6; also original letter to Sage from Hamilton's widow dated 1829
Sep. 3.
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