Penn State University Libraries - Transcription Rules

Transcription Rules | Call Numbers | Fixed Field | 245 | 260 | 300 | 4XX/8XX | 5XX | 6XX Biographies | 6XX Pa. Imprints | 6XX Subdivisions | 655 | 700/710 | 773

General

If the copy you are using is pre-AACR2, do not update the field contents to AACR2 unless you are updating a specific field or fields or there is missing information. If you are updating a field, leave the other fields that do not require editing as they are.

Information provided by Special Collections staff may be added to the bibliographic record. Add square brackets and/or question marks as appropriate if the information is questionable.

The characters ae and oe can vary on copy. Accept copy.

u/v, uu or vv/w, and i/j in Latin and some Romance languages

The usage of u, v, i, and j can vary on copy. For the descriptive elements of an item published after 1800:

• use v for consonants (e.g. vox, Victoria)
• use u for vowels (e.g. uva, Ursa Major)
• use w for consonantal uu or vv (e.g. Windelia)
• transcribe i and j as they appear

Add a 246 for the title as it appears on the item if missing.

For items published before 1801, accept copy, and add a 246 following the transcription rules above if missing.

Follow the transcription rules above for publications of any date for headings, citations from reference works, and other non-descriptive parts of the record, except use j for consonants (e.g. jus, Julius) and i for vowels (iter, Ilias).