Audiobooks Form Heading

To: Technical Services Staff
From: Joan Swanekamp, Chief Catalog Librarian 
Date: (Dec. 10, 2007 issue date/ 05/28/2009 9:22 AM revision date)

It is standard LCSH practice* to assign a genre/form heading (unsubdivided) for Audiobooks.

*As of May 24, 2011, new coding should be used when assigning LCGFT terms in bibliographic records. See below pattern:

Catalogers should use 655 when a form heading for Audiobooks needs to be traced.

Since, in addition, we have a request from Research Services to provide form access to audiobooks, the following guidelines should be observed:

1. Form headings for audiobooks should be tagged as: 

The heading should not be further subdivided (for example, by place).

2. Original cataloging: apply when applicable.

3. Member and LC copy: apply when applicable (the heading does not appear on some LC records). Re-tag from 650 to 655 if necessary.

• Do not re-tag if the 245 lacks $h [sound recording]
• Do not re-tag any 650 _0 $a Audiobooks if the heading is subdivided.

4. The policy will not be applied systematically to records cataloged prior to the implementation of these guidelines. Optionally, the heading may be assigned if a record is recataloged for other reasons.

*http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/gf_lccn.html