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Home > Minerva > Cataloging > Manual > Ch 4: Title and Statement of Responsibility - MARC 245 Field

Chapter 4: Title and Statement of Responsibility - MARC 245 Field

MARC 245 field (NR)

The title and statement of responsibility are entered in the 245 field. Enter the information just as it appears on the item following AACR2 rules for form and punctuation. This field ends with a period.

Both indicators are used.

The first indicator denotes the nature of the title entry.

  • 1 Title added entry (This indicator is used only when there is a 1XX tag present in the bib record.)
  • 0 No title added entry (This indicator is used only when there is not 1XX tag present in the bib record.)

The second indicator tells the computer to skip a specified number of "nonfiling" characters when it searches for the title. Enter 0 in this position if the title does not begin with an article. If the first word of the title is an article ( a, an or the, in English), enter a number for each letter in the article plus one for the following space. Treat non-English articles in the same way. There can be 0-9 nonfiling characters present, including one space. An initial quotation mark is also considered a nonfiling character, as illustrated in the second example below.

  • 245 14 The robe.
  • 245 15 "The eve that never sleeps--"

This field may contain a variety of subfields. The most frequent are listed below in the order in which they would be used. Additional information about subfields |b and |c is found at the end of this chapter. See the MARC 21 website for more details.

  • |a Title proper (NR)
    • 245 10 Easy family tree.
  • |a Title proper including an alternative title (NR)
    • 245 14 The young boy, or, The boy hunters in the north.
  • |n Number of part/section of work (part of title proper) (R)
    • 245 10 Marlowe's plays.|nPart one.
  • |p Name or part/section of work (part of title proper) (R)
    • 245 10 Progress in nuclear energy.|pReactors.
  • |h General materials designation (part of the title proper) (NR)
    • 245 10 Faust|h[sound recording].
  • |b Remainder of the title
    • 245 10 Family fun :|bboredom busters.
  • |c Statement of responsibility, etc.
    • 245 10 Kentucky sunrise /|cFern Michaels.

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Title proper

The chief name of an item is called the title proper . Other title information, such as a subtitle, is not considered to be part of the title proper. If the title proper is repeated in another language, the repeated title is called a parallel title and is considered to be other title information. Except for punctuation and capitalization, the title proper is transcribed exactly as it is found on the chief source of information. Do not add any information such as 'by" or "and" to the record if it is not on the chief source of information itself.

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Capitalization

The first word of a title proper, an alternative title or a parallel title should be capitalized. Capitalize other words, including the first word of any other title element, in accordance with normal usage for the language. In English, capitalize only proper nouns and proper adjectives.

  • Vanity fair, selections from America 's most memorable magazine.
  • Desertions during the Civil War.
  • Les enfants du paradis.
  • Raising our athletic daughters. 

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Quoted titles within title

Capitalize the first word of every title quoted. Do not put the title in quotes.

  • An introduction to The ring and the book.
  • Selections from The idylls of the king.
  • Shakespeare's The two gentlemen of Verona .
  • Supplement to The Oxford companion to English literature. 

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Titles preceded by dashes

Do not capitalize the first word of a title if it is preceded by a dash. Such a dash indicates that the beginning of the phrase from which the title was derived has been omitted.

Grammatically independent titles or supplements and sections

If the title proper of a supplement or section consists of two or more parts not linked grammatically, capitalize only the first word of the title of the first, second and any subsequent part.

  • The Traveling Wilburys. Vol. one.
  • Ecology. Student handbook.
  • Journal of biosocial science handbook. Supplement.
  • Progress in nuclear energy. Series 2, Reactors. 

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Item lacking a title page

If there is no chief source of information, supply a title proper from an alternative source. If no title can be found, make up a brief title. Enclose title information not found on the chief source of information in square brackets or list its source in the notes area (MARC 5XX fields, discussed in Chapter 11).

Ellipsis and brackets

If the chief source of information includes an ellipsis (...), replace it with dashes in the title area as shown below:

  • Title: Ein Spatz in der Hand...
  • MARC entry: 245 10 Ein Spatz in der hand -

In like manner replace square brackets ([]) with parentheses. 

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Alternative title

A second title joined to the first title by "or" or its equivalent is called an alternative title. The alternative title is considered part of the title proper. Notice that a comma precedes and follows the word "or."

  • 245 10 Maria, or, The wrongs of woman.
  • 245 10 Crushed violet, or, A servant girl's tale.

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Numbered or named parts: subfields |n and |p

If the item being cataloged is part of a larger work, the number or name of the part follows directly after the title proper and is preceded by a period. MARC format adds subfield code |n if it is a number and subfield code |p if it is a named part.

  • 245 00 Master of arts theses and master of science theses written at the University of Maine between 1945 and 1961.|nPart three.
  • 245 00 Holocaust reference library.|pCumulative index.
  • 245 14 The Smithsonian guides to natural America.|pCentral Appalachia: West Virginia, Kentucky , and Tennessee.

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General Material Designation (GMD): subfield |h

The General Material Designation, or GMD, designates the media group to which an item belongs and is only used in the 245 field. The GMD appears directly after the title proper, an alternative title or the number or name of a part of item and before any other title information or the statement of responsibility. It is enclosed in brackets and is always in lowercase. A subfield code |h precedes this area.

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Complete list of GMD terms

GMD Terms A-Z
A- Ma Terms Mi - Z Terms
activity card microscope slide
art original model
art reproduction motion picture
braille music
cartographic material picture
chart (not a map) realia
diorama slide
electronic resource sound recording
filmstrip technical drawing
flash card text
game toy
kit transparency
manuscript videorecording
microform  

 

When cataloging material in large type use: |h[text (large print)].

  • 245 14 The hounds of the Baskervilles|h[text (large print)].

When an item is a reproduction of a work that originally appeared in a different form, the GMD for the reproduction, not the original, is given. Although the videorecording of the following was originally issued as a 16mm motion picture, the appropriate GMD is videorecording and not motion picture, as illustrated by the example below.

  • 245 04 The Americans, 1776|h[videorecording]

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Other title information: subfield |b

When there is title information, such as a subtitle, in addition to the title proper it is called "other title information" and usually follows the title proper on the title page. This area is preceded by a space, colon and subfield code |b. The |b is also used before the first parallel or other title information.

  • 245 00 Up from the pedestal :|bselected writings in the history of American feminism.
  • 245 00 Population|h[game] :|ba game of man and society.
  • 245 14 The Myers Demonstration Library :|ban ESEA Title III project.
  • 245 04 The republics of South America :|ba report.
  • 245 14 The living of Charlotte Perkins Gilman :|ban autobiography.

If there is more than one area of title information, use a space, colon, space to separate the areas. The |b is not repeated.

  • 245 00 Nancy Drew|h[electronic resource] :|bdanger on Deception Island : 3D interactive mystery game.

If the title contains a parallel title which r epeats the title in another language, it is preceded by a space, equal sign and the subfield code |b. If there is more than one parallel title the additional titles are preceded by a space, equal sign and a space and no subfield code.

  • 245 10 Spanish books =|bLibros en espanol : a catalogue of the holdings of the Centre, Metropolitan Toronto Central Library.

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Statement of responsibility area: subfield |c

The statement of responsibility identifies the person(s) or organization(s) responsible for the intellectual or artistic content of the work being cataloged. This area is preceded by a space, slash (/) and the subfield code |c. Each area in this statement that represents different types of responsibility is separated by a space, semicolon, space. The chief source of information is the preferred place from which to take the statement of responsibility. Enclose in square brackets any statement from alternative sources. Only statements that are significant to the bibliographic description should be recorded. Editors who assisted with the book design are sometimes listed on the verso of the title page but they would not be included in the statement of responsibility. Unlike the title proper, a statement of responsibility is not essential to a description and if a statement indicating responsibility does appear in a prominent place on the item it is omitted.

  • 245 14 The tapestry room :ba child's romance /|cMrs. Molesworth ; illustrated by Walter Crane.

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Multiple statements of responsibility

If there are multiple statements of responsibility listed after |c, they are transcribed in the order in which they appear in the chief source of information. If they all have the same kinds of responsibility, separate by commas. If different types of responsibility are represented, separate by space, semicolon, space.

  • 245 10 Looking backwards /|cColette ; translated from the French by David Le Vay ; with an introduction by Maurice Goudeket.

If there are more than three persons or corporate bodies with the same type of responsibility, only the first person or body is transcribed. The omission of the others is indicated by space, ellipses, space [et al].

  • 245 10 Studies in modality /|cNicholas Rescher ; with the collaboration of Ruth Manor ... [et al.]. 

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Names including formal titles

Most titles of address, honor, distinction, qualifications, dates of founding, etc., are omitted from the statement of responsibility. There are four exceptions:

  1. The title is necessary grammatically.
  2. Only a given name or only a surname is accompanied by a title.
  3. A title is necessary for identification.
  4. A title of nobility or British title of honor is involved.
    • 245 10 Where art thou? /|cby Mrs. George Adams.

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Use of brackets in the statement of responsibility

When the relationship of the person or body in the statement of responsibility is not clear,

a word or phrase of explanation may be added in brackets.

  • 245 00 Words from long ago /|c[edited] by Joseph Andrews.

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Nouns or phrases indicating nature of work

Sometimes a noun or phrase appears between the title and statement of responsibility that is not really part of either. If the word seems to indicate the nature of the work, e.g., poems, a play, a report, etc., it is transcribed as part of the title. If, however, the word refers to the role of the person or body responsible, it should be included with the statement of responsibility, e.g., read by, prepared for, etc. If in doubt, include such words in the statement of responsibility.

  • 245 10 Walt Whitman's poetry :|ba study & a selection /cby Edmond Holmes. 

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When the name of person or body responsible appears in the title

If the name of the person or body responsible for the item being cataloged appears as part of the title, it is not necessary to repeat the name in the statement of responsibility. (See the above example.)

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Next: Chapter 5