Transcript Special Considerations When Cataloging Ethnic Music

Special Considerations When
Cataloging Ethnic Music
Caitlin Hunter
Processing Unit Head, Recorded Sound Section,
Library of Congress
MOUG Conference
February 18, 2009
What will be covered:
 Introduction to topic
 General elements to consider
 How people search for ethnic music
 Selected cataloging issues and examples:
 Commercial items
 Collections and unpublished items
 Ethnic music in FRBR-like models
Why ethnic music?
• My Background
 Anthropology
 Performance experience with ethnic music and
related course work
 Work experience
Why “special considerations”
• Complicated topic and limited time, so can only
cover certain broad issues and specific examples.
• Search practices differ from those for Western Art
music
• Institution size may impact cataloging practices
• Varied treatment of typical search elements
Why “special considerations”, cont.
• Well-established cataloging practices for specific
formats and Western Art music. Popular and Ethnic
music are not covered as thoroughly.
• Catalogers may have an incomplete understanding
of:
 Terminology
 Cultural practices
 Language
Terminology
• “Ethnic”
 Shared cultural identity
 Recognized elements marking difference from
other groups
 Independent of national borders
Terminology
• “World music”
 Likely originated in the field of ethnomusicology
 Music industry has used for marketing and
classification
 LCSH:

Once was used for " ... popular musical works combining
traditional rhythms from around the world with elements
of jazz and rock“
 Now encompasses ethnic music and ethnic/popular
fusions.
Terminology, cont.
• “Traditional” and “Folk” music
 Passed down through generations
 Interchangeable terms
 LCSH: “Folk music” is an established heading and
the rules state to use this in place of “Traditional
music”
Terminology, cont.
• “National” music
 Governmental, regional, or geographic boundaries
 LCSH: entry exists (although no scope note)
Issues to consider prior to cataloging
ethnic music:
• Language and culture specialists
• Reference works
Examples
 The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music
 Spottswood, Richard K. Ethnic Music on Records- A Discography
of Ethnic Recordings Produced in the United States, 1893 to
1942. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1990.
Issues to consider prior to cataloging
ethnic music, cont.
• Cataloging-related tools
 Thesauri

Geography, Cultural groups, Languages,
Instruments
 Subject headings

Subject Cataloging Manual: H 1917 Music of
Ethnic, National, and Religious Groups

“Provides guidelines for assigning subject headings to
works that consist of or discuss the music of ethnic groups,
music with national emphasis, religious music of certain
groups, and non-Western art music, including works about
the musical instruments of these groups”
Issues to consider prior to cataloging
ethnic music, cont.
• Establishing cataloging practices that will allow
patrons to search and retrieve results in a consistent
manner
• Providing print or online search guides
How Do People Search for
Ethnic Music?
How do people search for ethnic music?
Sources to consider
• Writings related to searching for ethnic/cultural
materials
• Organization of information in reference sources
devoted to ethnic music
How do people search for ethnic music?
Sources to consider, cont.
• Search options found in databases offering access
to ethnic music
Examples
 Smithsonian Global Sound
http://www.smithsonianglobalsound.org/
 Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/World-Music/b?ie=UTF8&node=33
 Other commercial sites
Ex: CD Baby http://cdbaby.com/style/world
How do people search for ethnic music?
Sources to consider, cont.
• Search guides provided by institutions
Observed patterns:
 Subject headings
 Preformatted searches with click of a button
 Classification schemes and call numbers
How do people search for ethnic music?
Search Elements for Ethnic Music
 Most frequent search/organizational elements




Geographic location
Cultural/Ethnic group
Form/Genre
Instrumentation
 Second-tier elements




Language
Dates
Contributors
Content/”Works”
Cataloging Commercial
Sound Recordings
Cataloging commercial sound recordings
MARC fields
• Machine readable
vs.
• Readable by patrons
Surveyed practices of various institutions
Cataloging commercial sound recordings
Geographic Location
• Machine readable
 033 (Date/Time and Place of an Event)

|b (Geographic classification area code)
 |c (Geographic classification sub-area code)
 Source of codes: Library of Congress Classification –Class G
 043 (Geographic Area Code)



| a (Geographic area code)
Ex: Illinois = |a n-us-il
Source of codes: MARC Code List for Geographic Areas
Cataloging commercial sound recordings
Geographic Location, cont.
• Readable by patrons
 518 (Date/Time and Place of an Event Note)
 6XX

SCM H 1917
 [ethnic or national group] |z [place] |v Music.
 [heading(s) for music of individual religious group(s)] |z
[place]

[Topical heading or subject heading string] |z [Larger
jurisdiction] |z [Specific place].
Cataloging commercial sound recordings
Cultural/Ethnic group
• Machine readable
 -None• Readable by patrons
 500/511
 6XX

SCM H 1917
 [ethnic or national group] |z [place] |v Music.
 [heading(s) for music of individual religious group(s)] |z
[place]
Cataloging commercial sound recordings
Form/Genre
• Machine readable
 008/18-19 (Form of Composition) (broad)
 047 (Form of Musical Composition Code) (broad)
• Readable by patrons
 500
 650 /655

SCM H 1917

[heading(s) for musical genre, type, or style, for ballads and
songs, or for songs implying national emphasis]
Cataloging commercial sound recordings
Instrumentation
• Machine readable
 048 (Number of musical instruments or voices code) (broad)
• Readable by patrons
 500/511
 6XX
Cataloging commercial sound recordings
Language
• Machine readable
 008/35-37 (Language)

Source: MARC Code List for Languages
 041 (Language code)
 |d (code for sung or spoken text)
 Source: MARC Code List for Languages
• Readable by patrons
 546 (Language note)
 6XX

SCM H 1917
 [heading(s) qualified by language of text]
Cataloging commercial sound recordings
Dates
• Machine readable
 033 (Date/Time and Place of an Event)

|a (Formatted date/time )

1st 8 characters: yyyymmdd (hyphen for unknown digits)
• Readable by patrons
 518: Date/Time and Place of an Event Note
Cataloging commercial sound recordings
Contributors
• Machine readable
 -None-
• Readable by patrons
 1XX
 245
 500/511/505
 7XX
Cataloging commercial sound recordings
Content/”Works”
• Machine readable
 -None-
• Readable by patrons

245
 505/520
 740
Cataloging commercial sound recordings
Example 1 (see handout)
Natalie MacMaster, My Roots Are Showing
Geographic Location
•
•
•
•
033: |b 3422 |c C29
043: |a n-cn-ns
500: “Traditional fiddle music of Cape Breton Island”--Container
518: Recorded Dec. 1997 at Lakewind Sound Studios, Point
Aconi, Cape Breton, N.S.
• 650: |z Nova Scotia |z Cape Breton Island
Cataloging commercial sound recordings
Example 1, cont.
Cultural/Ethnic Identity
• 500: Performer Canadian.
• + Inference from geographic location
Form/Genre
• 008/18-19: “fm” or “mu”
• 047: |a fm |a df
• 500: “Traditional fiddle music of Cape Breton Island”—Container
• 650: |a Fiddle tunes
• 650: |a Folk music
• 650: |a Folk dance music
Cataloging commercial sound recordings
Example 1, cont.
Instrumentation
• 500: “Traditional fiddle music of Cape Breton Island”—Container
• 511: Natalie MacMaster, fiddle; Mary Jessie MacDonald, piano
(1st work); Joel Chiasson, piano (2nd work); …
• 650: |a Fiddle tunes
Language
• [N/A for the works]
Cataloging commercial sound recordings
Example 1, cont.
Date (of performance)
• 033: |a 199712-• 518: Recorded Dec. 1997 at Lakewind Sound Studios, Point
Aconi, Cape Breton, N.S.
Contributors
• 100: |a MacMaster, Natalie. |4 prf
• 511: Natalie MacMaster, fiddle;…
• 700: |a Chiasson, Joel. |4 prf …
Content/”Works”
• 505: |a Hey, Johnny Cope! -- Willie Fraser -- The boys of the lake
-- …
Cataloging commercial sound recordings
Example 2
Sam-Ang Sam Ensemble, Music of Cambodia
Geographic Location
•
•
•
•
•
033: |b 3804
033: |b 4284
043: |a a-cb--- |a n-us--245: |a Music of Cambodia
518: |a Recorded May 8, 1987, at Greenwich House, New York
City, and Dec. 3, 1988, at Ruskin Studio, Seattle, Washington.
• 650: |z Cambodia
• ? 650: |z United States
Cataloging commercial sound recordings
Example 2, cont.
Cultural/Ethnic Identity
• 650: |a Cambodian Americans |v Music
• + Inference from geographic location in title and background of
performer
Form/Genre
• 008/18-19: “fm”
• 650: |a Folk music
Cataloging commercial sound recordings
Example 2, cont.
Language
• 008/35-37: khm
• 041: |d khm
• 546: [not mentioned in existing bibliographic record]
Dates (of performance)
• 033: |a 19870508
• 033: |a 19881203
• 518: Recorded May 8, 1987, at Greenwich House, New York City,
and Dec. 3, 1988, at Ruskin Studio, Seattle, Washington.
Cataloging commercial sound recordings
Example 2, cont.
Instrumentation
• [not mentioned in existing bibliographic record]
Contributors
• 110: Sam-Ang Sam Ensemble. |4 prf
Content/”Works
• 505: Kath troeuy = Crossing the river bank -- Khek Nup Bun =
Indian from Nup -- Kolap Phnom Penh = Rose of Phnom Peng -…
Collections and Unpublished
Materials
Collections and unpublished materials
Elements to Consider
• Information discussed in previous section
• Additional elements for consideration
 Collection title
 Content, Summaries, and Access to Individual Recordings
in a Collection
 Physical Description
 Notes (Genre/Form and Provenance)
 Subject Headings
Collections and unpublished materials
Collection titles (245)
• Titles on item(s)
• Supplied titles
 AACR2 1.1B7
 “Supply a title proper for an item lacking a chief source of
information from the rest of the item, or a reference source, or
elsewhere. If no title can be found in any source, devise a brief
descriptive title.”
 Internal/Institution-specific practices
 ATM: [Location, Cultural group, Dates] / |c collected by [Name]
 [Brazil, Tupi Indians, ca. 1935] [sound recording] / collected by
Charles Wagley.
Collections and unpublished materials
Collection titles (245)
• Supplied titles, cont.
 DACS (Describing Archives: Content Standard)

245 |a: Name segment + nature of materials
Mary Smith collection of fiddle tunes

Date
 245 |f: Date range
Mary Smith collection of fiddle tunes, |f 1965-1970.
 Other: 245 |g (bulk date) and 260 |c
Collections and unpublished materials
Content, Summaries, and Access to
Individual Recordings in a Collection
• Contents or Summary Notes
 505
 520
• Access to individual recordings
 Bibliographic Records
 Finding Aids
 Indexes
Collections and unpublished materials
Physical Description (300)
• Multiple formats in one collection
 Content to include in bibliographic record
Only sound recordings –or Sound recordings and accompanying materials
 Single entry


21 sound discs : analog, 78 rpm, mono. ; 7-10 in. + 4 sound
tape reels (10 in.) . + documentation
 Multiple entries in one record

50 sound tape reels : analog, 7 1/2 ips ; 10 in.
 100 sound cassettes : analog.

120 sound discs : analog, 33 1/3 rpm ; 12 in.
Collections and unpublished materials
Notes
• Genre/Form Note
 Suggest including a note listing various genres/forms in a
collection
• Provenance
 Institutional repository of original recording
 Collector who gathered the recordings
 Narrative provenance story
 Copies
Collections and unpublished materials
Subject Headings
• LCSH
• Local subject headings
• How many is too many?
Ethnic Music and
FRBR-Like Models
Ethnic Music and FRBR-like Models
FRBR
• http://www.ifla.org/VII/s13/frbr/
• Entities
 Group 1
 Work (a distinct intellectual or artistic creation)
 Expression (the intellectual or artistic realization of a work)
 Manifestation (the physical embodiment of an expression of a work)
 Item (a single exemplar of a manifestation)
Ethnic Music and FRBR-like Models
FRBR
 Group 1 entities, cont.
Ethnic Music and FRBR-like Models
FRBR
• Entities, cont.
 Group 2


Person
Corporate body
 Group 3

Concept


Object (a material thing)
Event (an action or occurrence)

Place
(an abstract notion or idea)
(a location)
Ethnic Music and FRBR-like Models
FRBR
Shared Work and Expression Attributes (but applied differently)
 Title
 Form
 Date
 Other distinguishing characteristics
 Context
 Medium of Performance
Group 2 and 3 Entities
 Person
 Corporate body
 Event
 Place
Ethnic Music and FRBR-like Models
Special Considerations Regarding:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Geographic Location
Contributors and Cultural/Ethnic Group
Form/Genre
Instrumentation
Content/”Works”
Other Misc. Issues
Ethnic Music and FRBR-like Models
Geographic Location (Place)
• Location types that may be tracked:




Contributors: place of origin
Works and Styles: place of origin or affiliation
Place of performance
Place of publication
• Manner in which geographic location is presented
on ethnic music recordings:
 Specific countries, cities, or towns identified
 Descriptive identifications of settlement, region, such as
“within the borderlands of [several countries]”
 In conjunction with cultural groups, such as “lands of the
Shona people”
Ethnic Music and FRBR-like Models
Contributors and Cultural/Ethnic group
• Should contributors be associated with roles and
how will those be searched?
 Creator, Performer, Other
• Inclusion of roles related to ethnic music
 Source of roles: MARC relator terms + other options
 Roles often not associated with Western Art music:
ethnographer/recorder, researcher, collector, and donor
• Cultural/Ethnic groups could be thought of as
creators or performers
Ethnic Music and FRBR-like Models
Contributors and Cultural/Ethnic group, cont.
• Full names vs. incomplete or vague contributor
statements
 Varies widely, depending upon collector or publication
 Incomplete or vague: first names, descriptive identifications
(i.e. school children, priests, village members), and ethnic
groups/tribes/castes
 “Traditional”: often found in place of a creator name.
 Should contributor records be made for all such entries? If
not, need to allow for a unique place where this information
may continue to be traced.
Ethnic Music and FRBR-like Models
Contributors and Cultural/Ethnic group, cont.
• Authority record patterns for ethnic music-related
contributors :
 Authority records generally already exist for:

Ethnographers
 Performers who have released solo or small ensemble
recordings
 In general, records do not exist for most performers and
identified composers
 Confusion determining correct heading: Names from
certain regions (particularly Latin American and Hispanic
names)
Ethnic Music and FRBR-like Models
Form/Genre
• Controlled vocabulary or not?
• Current terms in LCSH
 Ethnic music under-represented in general
 Terms from certain regions, such as Afghanistan and
Australia, are not well-represented
 Difficulty understanding where forms/genres fall in a
hierarchy
 As music Form/Genre term list being established: ideal
time to add more ethnic music terms
Ethnic Music and FRBR-like Models
Form/Genre, cont.
• On recordings, range from precise terms to descriptive
statements incorporating ethnic group, region, and
techniques/styles of playing. How to handle?

Example: one ethnic group identified as performing in the style of
another ethnic group.
• In liner notes, unfamiliar terms often described or
defined.

Possibility of consolidating this information for the betterment of
all?
 Requires a conscious effort on the part of the cataloging
community.
Ethnic Music and FRBR-like Models
Instrumentation
• Controlled vocabulary or not?
 Sources and organization of selections
 If yes, define mechanism for adding more terms
• Incorporate broader terms for instrument classes?
• Western Art music composers may incorporate such
instruments in their compositions, so all terms must
be accessible regardless of musical tradition.
Ethnic Music and FRBR-like Models
Contents/”Works”
• What is a “work” in ethnic music?
• Concept of a “work” in ethnic music is problematic.
 Distinct titles vs. form or vague titles
 “Title” might consist of a combination of instrument, ethnic
group, function, context, etc. terms
 Origination of titles: ethnic group, collector, or publisher
 Relationships
Ethnic Music and FRBR-like Models
Contents/”Works”, cont.
• Collections as works?
 Field recordings
 Could be thought of as being created/organized by the
collector/ethnographer
 Each individual selection would be a part of the whole.
 At what level may subject headings, form/genre,
instrumentation, etc. be indicated?
 Broad terms for the Collection work title but more distinct
ones for the individual parts?
Ethnic Music and FRBR-like Models
Other Issues to Consider
Language
• Language used (1) in performance and (2) in accompanying
materials
• Controlled list or not? If so, how to develop and add new
terms?
• Ability to select multiple languages
• What should be done if no language is indicated or there is a
vague statement like “African dialect”?
• Language of accompanying print materials may not be
understood.
Ethnic Music and FRBR-like Models
Other Issues to Consider, cont.
Shared attributes or Groupings
• This information is often not tracked in bibliographic records.
Should it be?
• Example: tracks grouped according to deities, holidays,
instrument classification.
The End