Wow, she's whiny today

[auntiemeesh]

Ya know, if the professor would actually grade assignments and get them returned to us before other assignments that build off of them are due, it would be so much nicer. Not sure it would really answer my current question, but it might, and by the time I find out, it will be too late to help me.

I have to figure out the inclusive dates for a collection of documents pertaining to a specific organization. I'm not sure if the dates I want are the span that the organization was active, or the earliest-latest dates mentioned in the records, as these are two different things. The organization was formed in 1934 but some of the records give history going back to the 1870s. I guess I'm just going with the dates of the organization, but I'm feeling unhappily unclear on this issue.

I'm going out with the FCG tonight, although I shouldn't, but then I'm prepared to stay up later than will make me happy to figure this all out.

Comments

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I haven't needed to catalog anything in ages. I'd end up putting the dates of the papers in the collection and parenthetically including the dates of the organization after it's name.

Which is probably wrong...

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

I ended up just putting the organization's dates and ignoring the other dates. Only time will tell if that was right or wrong. I still haven't got the other assignment back.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

If it turns out to be right, I'd argue. I mean, if someone is going through your catalog, looking for material from certain dates, then how are they going to find the documents that predate the organization?

Arcane rules that block you from finding information are silly.

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

Well, I can put all those other dates in the Scope and Content notes. I think it would be misleading to have them in the title field, though. To say Texas Brewers' Institute, 1878-1973 when the organization wasn't created until 1934, just doesn't seem right to me. But in the S & C note I can mention that a few of the documents in the collection look at the history of brewing in Texas, dating back to the 1880s.

But that's just how my admittedly untrained thoughts go. It's entirely likely that I got it wrong.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Nod. I see what you mean. I'd probably put something like Collected Papers. Texas Brewers' Institute (1934-1973), 1878-1973. And I'd be wrong, wrong, wrong, I'll bet!

If I ever won the lottery, I think I'd spend my time raising dust at the next cataloging conference. There are soooo many ways I want to be able to search a catalog that I can't right now. Can you imagine a world wide wikilogue? Have you seen what library thing does when it collects all the editions under "works"? Wouldn't it be cool to be able to go and search for books with certain settings, or use tags, or leave reviews or...

You get the idea. I have way too good an imagination and no ambition to go with it.

[ani-no-mouse.livejournal.com]

Enjoy the FCG!
FWIW - it sounds to me like you are on the right track with the inclusive dates thing. But what do I know?

[auntiemeesh.livejournal.com]

I did have fun last night. I went with just the start and approximate end dates of the organization, but who knows if that was right or not.