Catalog Submissions

Catalog Submissions

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Submissions Requisites for all Accepted Formats

Policy:

A bibliographic record will be created within 6 months of submission for those items meeting the specified submission criteria.

The material submissions will be returned to the director and/or designated appointee of the initiating library if:

  • No adequate and complete bibliographic record is available in OCLC or other standard sources routinely used by BCCLS catalogers after three months past the publication date, or
  • Justification is needed for inclusion in the BCCLS database, or
  • The record does not meet submission criteria.

Libraries should reconsider adding these items to their collection or add them as uncataloged.

Non-Fiction

Non-fiction submissions published more than five (5) years before the calendar year in which submitted will not be accepted. Exceptions may be made for local history or Jerseyana.

Electronic Resources

A record for paid electronic resource databases can be included in the BCCLS catalog if all BCCLS cardholders have in-library access to the database from within the owning library. For some of these paid electronic resources, cardholders of the owning library might also have remote access, which would not be available to out-of-town BCCLS cardholders. However, paid electronic resources which are only accessible to an owning library’s cardholders will NOT be included in the BCCLS catalog.

Owning libraries are not required to link paid electronic resources to the BCCLS catalog, but should they choose to do so, linking must be done in a uniform manner established by BCCLS. It is the responsibility of the owning library to maintain its electronic resources holdings in the BCCLS catalog and to weed as appropriate.

DVDs & Blu-rays

All standard DVDs must be Region 1 or 0 and Blu-ray Discs must be Region A/1 to be submitted for inclusion in the catalog.

Video Games

Video Games must be licensed to be sold and distributed in the U.S. to be added to the catalog. Video Games submissions published more than five (5) years before the calendar year in which submitted will not be accepted.

Print-On-Demand

Libraries should refrain from requesting new bibliographic records for old titles which have become available via print-on-demand services. Libraries are encouraged to purchase editions which are already represented in the catalog. New intellectual property that meets other criteria, such as local interest / local author / local curriculum, will be accepted with written justification by the director and/or designated appointee for inclusion in the catalog.  

Self-Published Materials

Self-published materials must be carefully considered before submission.

  • Ideally items will have been reviewed by a professional source (LJ, BL, PW, Kirkus, VOYA, etc.)
  • Items submitted without a review may be accepted if accompanied by written justification for inclusion in the catalog by the director and/or designated appointee.
  • Items without professional reviews may be linked as uncataloged.
  • Materials by local authors or dealing with local history do not require a professional review. These items will only be entered into the database upon submission, with justification, by the director and/or designated appointee. This applies to both fiction and non-fiction.

Formats not cataloged by BCCLS:

The following is a list of formats currently not cataloged by BCCLS. If your library would like to submit one of these, or any other formats, please see the BCCLS policy on New Formats and Material Types:

  • Blu-Ray & DVD combos (these are separated into individual records)
  • Reader’s Digest condensed books
  • Individual site licensed software
  • VHS cassettes
  • Books on Cassette
  • Individual pieces of a set (when each piece doesn’t have a unique ISBN or UPC)
  • Advance Reader Copies
  • Vinyl

For a list of currently cataloged formats see https://my.bccls.org/knowledge-base/currently-cataloged-formats/

Procedures:

If a bibliographic record is created in error and will be removed from the catalog, the cataloging staff at the BCCLS office will move any linked items to an uncataloged bibliographic record and notify the director and/or designated appointee of the item owning library of the action taken.

Recommendation:

AV Media

The standards for AV media mirror those for print. It is suggested that the following tools be used to select materials for purchase:

  • Specialized library reviewing publications such as:
    • Booklist
    • Library Journal
    • Video Librarian
    • School Library Journal
    • VOYA
  • Mass market newspapers and magazines such as:
    • Entertainment Weekly
    • New York Times
  • Specialized bibliographies listing media of merit.
  • Reputable online review sources.

In addition, the following sources are useful for specific formats:

DVD/BluRay: Catalogs and reputable online review sources specializing in serving the library video market such as B & T TitleSource 360 Browse lists and Parents’ Choice. 

Video Games: Video game trade publication such as: IGN, Crimson INC, Game Informer, etc. 

Audiobooks: Catalogs from publishers specializing in the library market which have proven reliable both in terms of previously reviewed titles and durability of product such as Recorded Books or Audiofile. 

Sound Recordings (except Audiobooks): Specialized catalogs and reputable online resources. 

The ease with which much AV material can be copied permits many companies to issue the same work. Material which exists in multiple editions should be purchased with an eye to quality of transfer and durability as well as cost. Caution is advised in selecting multiple editions as the duplication confuses users, artificially inflates the size of the database, and incurs additional costs in creating bibliographic records for duplicated material.

Information Required to Submit Materials for Cataloging

Policy:

All information necessary to create the bibliographic record for an item must be submitted as detailed below.

Procedures:

Prior to sending scanned/digital images of materials being submitted for cataloging, the following steps should be followed:

  1. Search ILS for a record.
  2. If a record is not found in ILS, search OCLC for a record.
  3. Continue searching for a record in both the ILS and OCLC until approximately two weeks after the item has been released. Record requests should then be submitted to BCCLS Cataloging following procedures outlined below.

The inclusion of a professional selection or review source (e.g. LJ, BL, PW, Kirkus, VOYA, SLJ, etc.) is required for priority entering into the database. If there are special circumstances that make the submission time sensitive, this should be noted as well. 

 Books

  • Send a scan or digital image of front and back cover, title page and verso (colophon is necessary) via the BCCLS Support form or email – cataloging@bccls.org
  • Author
  • Title
  • Publisher
  • Place of Publication
  • Copyright date (publication date if it’s different from the copyright date)
  • Pagination (all the numbered pages: e.g. vi, 59, 10 pages)
  • Size (height/width)
  • ISBN
  • Accompanying materials
  • Series information
  • Edition
  • Selection or review source with date if possible (optional)
  • Additionally, for non-fiction five years or older, the specific criteria for inclusion in the database 

Periodicals

  • Send a scan or digital image of the cover and the masthead (where the ISSN and business particulars for frequency, cost, and publisher is located) via the BCCLS Support form or email – cataloging@bccls.org
  • Title
  • ISSN
  • Publisher
  • Place of publication
  • Frequency of publication
  • Volume/number/date
  • Mergers and previous titles; subsequent titles, if any
  • ISBN, if available
  • Selection or review source with date if possible (optional) 

Audiobooks

  • Send a scan or digital image of item (disc), front and back cover of container, plus any inserts noting narrator or run time information via the BCCLS Support form or email – cataloging@bccls.org
  • Author
  • Title
  • Publisher
  • Release date and place
  • Name of reader/performer/narrator
  • ISBN
  • Manufacturer’s name and number
  • Run time
  • Number of pieces
  • Abridged or unabridged
  • Mono or stereo, Dolby processed
  • Unique features – e.g., adapter needed for stereo use, special device needed to play
  • Series
  • Selection or review source with date if possible (optional)

*Note: For media the primary source of information is on the media itself, not on the packaging.

Visual Materials

  • Send a scan or digital image of item (disc), front and back cover of container, plus any inserts, run time, or production information via the BCCLS Support form or email – cataloging@bccls.org
  • Title
  • ISBN/UPC
  • Release date
  • Publisher, place and date of publication, distributor
  • Manufacturer’s name and code
  • Run time
  • Format
  • Number of pieces
  • Series
  • Producer
  • Sound or silent/Hi Fi, stereo
  • Color or black & white
  • Accompanying materials
  • Notes (closed captions, public performance rights, original language, subtitles, dubbed languages, etc.)
  • Edition statement 

*Note: For media the primary source of information is on the media itself, not on the packaging.

Readalongs and ESL Materials (book and AV materials packaged together and purchased as a single unit)

  • Send a scan or digital image of item (disc), front and back cover of container, title page and verso from the book, plus any inserts, run time, or production information via the BCCLS Support form or email – cataloging@bccls.org
  • Author
  • Title
  • Publisher, place of media/book publication
  • Copyright date of media/book
  • Types of media and number of pieces (e.g., 1 compact disc + 1 book)
  • Pagination
  • ISBN(s) for each format
  • Mono or stereo
  • Unique features
  • Series
  • Performer or narrator
  • Selection or review source with date if possible (optional)

*Note: For media the primary source of information is on the media itself, not on the packaging.

Sound Recordings (except Audiobooks)

  • Send a scan or digital image of item (disc), front and back cover of container, composer/author/narrator plus any inserts, run time, or production information via the BCCLS Support form or email – cataloging@bccls.org
  • Composer, author and/or arranger
  • Title from labeling on media itself
  • Any title(s) from container that is different from title on item itself and where that title appears
  • All performers, narrators, etc.
  • Place and name of recording company (label) and, if needed for clarification, place and name of manufacturer
  • Release date
  • Recording date and location
  • For CDs the SPARS (Society of Professional Audio Recording Studios) code, a consumer clarification code consisting of 3 letters
  • Run time of the performances, readings, etc. Total time preferred, but if that does not appear on item or container, then individual run times. If in doubt, give both.
  • Full contents of the item (for classical collections include composer of each work)
  • Notes about bonus tracks
  • Manufacturer’s name and number from item itself (if there is a different number on the box or container, give that number if it is an inclusive number for set)
  • Number of pieces
  • Notes about any significant accompanying material (program notes, libretto, manual, lyrics and/or information)
  • Notes such as stereo, mono, Dolby processed, sound channels
  • Size, if not standard
  • Series information
  • Selection or review source with date if possible (optional)

*Note: For media the primary source of information is on the media itself, not on the packaging.

Games

  • Send a scan or digital image of item (disc), front and back cover of container, especially if there is varying title or product information via the BCCLS Support form or email – cataloging@bccls.org
  • Platform
  • Title
  • UPC
  • Publisher, place and date of publication, distributor
  • Manufacturer’s name and number
  • Format
  • Number of pieces
  • Number of players
  • Creators
  • ESRB rating
  • System requirements
  • Accompanying materials

*Note: For media the primary source of information is on the media itself, not on the packaging.
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