Penn State University Libraries - 260 Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint)

For Rare Materials only: Give the publisher's name in its complete form; the form of the publisher's name is sometimes the only way to differentiate editions.

For PSU Archives and HCLA: Accept the publisher's name in 260b as found on copy unless obviously wrong.

For books published before 1800, if a street address for the publisher or printer is included in the imprint, add it to 260|b if missing from copy.

If you have no date on copy (or no copy), check in order the title page (keeping in mind that the t.p. date can be a printing date), t.p. verso, any pages preceding the title page, colophon, cover, and if necessary, within the text for the latest date found. Add a 500 note indicating the source of the date if it is not on the title page. Consider searching for the title in known reference sources (NUC pre-1956, Evans, Shoemaker, etc.) for a date. If you don't find a date in any of these places, check the ORF. If it has a date, input with sqaure brackets and question mark; add a 590 to indicate source of date.

Add the modern form of the place name for cities given in unfamiliar form in the 260|a. The modern form of the name will be supplied in brackets as the last element of the |a subfield:

260    Lugduni Batavorum [Leiden] :|b ...

Exercise judgment in employing this rule, and only include the English form of the name when clarification is necessary. Place names most in need of clarification are in Latin.

The basis for implementing this procedure is Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Books, Rule 4B3. "If considered necessary for identification, supply in square brackets the modern form of the name of the place."

Several online tools are available for determining troublesome names, including a brief local list and external links to several excellent sources.

For Rare Books only: For all fine press books and any rare books deemed appropriate, if a statement indicating the printer can be easily found on the item, add the place of printing in 260e and the printer in 260f. Follow the punctuation as shown below. 260e and f should be surrounded by parentheses.

260    New York :|bDunkledoodle & Sons,|c1845|e(Boston :|fSnoopy's Printing Co.)

See also: Record Creation: 260
See also: OCLC Bibliographic Formats and Standards: 260