Accompanying Materials Issues with reference to UNC-Chapel Hill policies and proposals
F. Rosenberg, Serials Cataloging

Definition

Accompanying materials are those materials that are issued with a bibliographic item or are included in its purchase. They usually arrive in the library with the item, inserted in it or loose. They are often intended to be used with the item. Some types are:

a. Printed materials: maps, graphic or text inserts, musical scores and parts

b. Microforms: usually microfiches

c. A/V materials:

• video: slides, tapes, transparencies, and the viewers with which to view them
• audio: tapes and discs

d. Computer files: diskettes, laser and optical discs, Zip disks, possibly other formats to come

Disclaimer: This study seeks to recommend some policies but does not attempt to work out detailed procedures for handling these materials, which, in being designated "accompanying," are considered secondary to the primary item. Some of them may even be ephemeral "throwaways." On the other hand, if the secondary items are extensive or significant enough, from a cataloging standpoint the designation of the primary and secondary item might even be reversed.

Background study: For this compilation, various materials were consulted: responses from several libraries on campus, and technical services information either in print or on the World Wide Web. Art, Brauer, Couch, HSL, Music, and RBC were among those responding to the initial question, and deserve our thanks. Among the libraries whose procedures were studied were MIT, the University of Oregon, Princeton, the Universities of California at Berkeley and at San Diego, and the University of Virginia.

Research into the procedures at other libraries is useful mostly for scattered ideas and solutions rather than for policies that can be imported wholesale. It is also helpful for understanding overall trends in treatment and handling of accompanying materials. For instance, it became clear that large libraries, even those that once excluded all nonprint formats from the general stacks, are now increasingly keeping accompanying materials with the main item rather than separating them; also, with the coming of so many materials that are not copiable, fewer libraries are trying to make backups even of their copiable materials. It also became very clear that in libraries which had developed excellent methods of communication among the areas concerned, a great deal of flexibility was possible in adjusting policies and procedures to suit various libraries. Communication is the one indispensable ingredient for maintaining policy consistency in handling these materials.

Issues: As suggested in our first forum, the major issues in treatment of accompanying materials are security, preservation, ease of use, and bibliographic access.

Security: Accompanying material can be tattle-taped if this is preservationally appropriate. Some libraries tattle-tape accompanying CD-ROMs and audiodiscs; others advise that this would likely damage the polycarbonate coating on the disc. (Those same libraries rejected even writing the call number on either a label or the disc hub, as other libraries do routinely, using a Sharpie pen). Yet small discs are the very materials that would be most easily slipped into a pocket or notebook by someone wanting to steal them. No solution was apparent. Preservation must try to sort the facts from the myths as regards the effects of security strips or ink on CD formats.

It is possible in a small branch library to remove the accompanying material and house it separately in a secure area if such conditions would be more appropriate to a particularly valuable accompanying piece. The Music Library routinely removes certain audio and video materials. However, the policy is more easily carried out when an area does its own processing, as the Music Library does. If locations whose items are processed in Davis wished to have separate policies, there would be no easy way to have the policy variations easily to hand for Davis staff. It would probably be necessary to allow the branches to make changes to processing decisions on their own after the fact, and inform Davis Cataloging of any changes that need to be made to the online record.

The most promising suggestions have to do with alerting circulation staff durin the check-out and check-in process of the presence of accompanying material. Four methods have been recommended:

1. Stamps and labels in the main item. These include the very important DO NOT DESENSITIZE for volumes with magnetic media (diskettes, audiotapes) in pockets. (CD-ROMs are not significantly affected by desensitizers.) Stamps can be used near the barcode to alert staff to the presence of items in pocket, but this is probably better done by a specific pencilled note (see below).

2. Notes in pencil near the barcode of the main item describing and enumerating the accompanying materials. Libraries in the field recommend that these notes should be specific, for example: 14 fiches in pocket. Brauer Library uses a pencilled note to alert users to accompanying material held separately, e.g. "Request accompanying microfiche from circulation desk".

3. Labels on each accompanying item (except individual microfiches) in pencil, Sharpie Pen, or typed as appropriate. Unless the item is also property-stamped, the label contains the library and branch name, call number, and name of the item. This label should be very specific. Note the substitution in the figure below (4)of the journal name for an unclassed item:

(1) _____Library UNC-Chapel Hill Q1234 .T63 map 1 of 10

(2)L/ Music UNC-H M1234 .T65 Cassette

(3) Microforms Coll UNC-Chapel Hill Microfilm Serial 1-1234 Guide

(4) M/P UNC-Chapel Hill Jour. of Sci.Instr. v. 15 1996 Disk 1 of 2

4. DRA item notes. These cause a beep at check-out or check-in, which prompts the clerk to look at the note. A Ctrl-Z (F10) is needed to continue processing. This functionality is little understood by Davis cataloging staff, and some did not realize that catalogers could create such notes.

Preservation: Most items in the UNC-Chapel Hill system will be housed inside or with the primary format. If the primary format is a volume, and the accompanying material can fit into an existing or easily manufactured pocket, the material will be put inside it. Libraries often find the existing pocket inadequate, and replace it with a better one. Increasingly, better ones are of plastic, often polypropylene. Some libraries recommended manufacturing Velcro closures for pockets to keep light items from falling out. If the material will not fit easily inside the primary format, there are at least two alternatives. HSL uses a separate enclosure for all accompanying items with a plastic insert and pamphlet binding, to be shelved beside the primary item. Another idea from the field is to enclose the primary and secondary items together in a custom-made phase box. If the main item is shelved separately either beside or apart from the accompanying items, the alert to the other item needs to be on each format, as is done in HSL.

The procedure of archiving original disks and creating a backup to circulate is time-consuming, but still done, though less often than previously, in libraries. In Main and Brauer, for example, this procedure is still stated policy. It needs to be evaluated, and its costs weighed against the cost of replacing disks in case of loss. In libraries that do backups, copying the archival disk onto a new medium every five years or so is recommended, as is careful labeling of the archival disk and the backup disk. One library with space problems recommended stackable storage boxes, available commercially, that safely hold 200 disks.

Since the Libraries do not have the resources to check returned disks (discs) for computer viruses, it might be wise to have a warning label urging virus check before running and before returning to the Library. Catalogers need to be aware that volumes with diskettes, tapes, or other magnetic media need "DO NOT DESENSITIZE" warning labels on the outside front cover.

Ease of use: This goal is furthered by the availability of equipment to view the material. One of the reasons for the increasing number of formats kept in the regular stacks is the spread of home computers and VCRs among the user population. Several libraries in the field commented that physical access is enhanced when items are kept with the primary material, and decreased markedly when items are segregated, especially if placed in a non-browsable area. If items are separated, very good labelling, as specific as possible, should appear in the catalog record, the main item, and the extracted item to show the relationships. This was done recently when a book cataloged for Main had an audio CD suitable for the Music collection, so the two were cataloged separately but linked by entries to each other.

Bibliographic access This topic is prominent in the literature on accompanying material. Much of it is technical. In general, though absolute consistency is hard to achieve, there are a few guidelines to mention for choosing among the options.

Accompanying material should be cataloged separately when it is bibliographically significant and either duplicates the content of the main format (can be thought of as alternative means to the content) or has content independent from that of the main item and can be used apart from it with no loss of utility.

Within a single record, there are choices as well. Even materials in different formats can be described on one record attached to two separate MFHL records, as is done with serials when an odd issue is received on film and no record for the film edition is found. When formats are combined in one unit, there is still the question of whether the accompanying material should have a separate item record, with barcodes for all pieces, or a single item with an item note. Here there is much policy differentiation among locations. The Undergraduate library barcodes each accompanying item and has trained staff and students to make sure that all barcodes are swiped during checkout. Multiple barcodes increase labor at point of cataloging, check-out, and check-in, but they do facilitate inventory. For a large collection like Main, a clear warning both in a note near the barcode and an item note onscreen is the best guarantee that accompanying items will be kept track of at the most vulnerable point, circulation. In short, this paper recommends that the default policy be to have a single barcode, with labels, appropriate cataloging information, notes on the physical pieces, proper call number marking, and item notes on DRA for circulation purposes, except where libraries (like UL) state a different clear policy.

From the public services point of view, cataloging information about accompanying materials is less than perfectly useful because it shows up only on the full record, which few users access (though catalogers always hope that at least staff access it and find it useful). These data can include:

• an addition to the physical description (paging and dimensions);
• a general note ("Accompanied by...");
• a contents note (particularly for sound recordings);
• a title added entry (for accompanying items with distinctive titles.

Public holdings notes in the MFHL are great for conveying information to catalog users, and very flexible. At the present stage of DRA development, they are imperfect because they are not accessible in the circulation module. For circulation, the item note is indispensable. Nonetheless, the holdings note is a very good place to explain complex bibliographic relationships. In a future release of DRA, MFHL notes will likely be keyword searchable, but no one knows to what extent. This capability would make many kinds of tracking possible.

The manual shelflist is still much used by departments for listing items, but at the moment the shelflist card is being phased out as OCLC cards spiral upwards in price. Libraries are understandably concerned about how to record their holdings and clean up errors in the files without a frustrating back-and-forth with Davis. The UNC Libraries probably need to conduct a broad-based inquiry into the task of bibliographic control in a vast collection of items which we manage with ever-increasing difficulty. Accompanying items, for example, might need an online inventory based on some keyword-searchable term in the records for tracking purposes. This study may also include a re-evaluation of what kinds of authorizations should be needed to maintain the files.

Because of the complex and dynamic nature of these materials, policy recommendations need frequent review in an open forum such as this to make sure that they continue to work for all collections and users.

Specific Recommendations

1. Catalog an accompanying item separately if it is bibliographically significant (of significant content) especially if published in a separate place and time from the main item; and if it is capable of being used apart from the main item OR an alternative presentation of the content of the main item. Catalog it in notes on the record for the main item if it does not meet those conditions.

2. Shelve an accompanying item with the main item unless it is not needed with the main item AND is wanted and suitable for another collection (e.g., music materials in a Davis item), OR if security considerations warrant separate housing (e.g., for valuable items).

3. If the holding area makes a different decision on shelving when the item is received, its staff are free to change the decision and change the online record where possible, or notify the processing area to change the record.

4. Process the accompanying material physically in ways appropriate to it:

1. If it fits inside the primary item, it should be in a pocket, ordinarily on the inside back cover of the main item. If an existing pocket is adequate, it should be placed there. If there is no pocket or the pocket is inadequate, a pocket can be manufactured or a commercial pocket can be used, including polypropylene plastic pockets and paper pockets, with Velcro or other closings in the case of light items.
2. If it does not fit inside the main item, the options are
   • A separately bound item shelved with the main item, with an enclosure inside for the secondary item
   • A phase box housing both items together

5. Note accompanying items on the bibliographic record for the main item by the usual means provided in AACR2. If the material is in a pocket in the main item, or shelved separately, the note on the bibliographic record should briefly state this.

1. Additions to the physical description, preceded by a plus sign
   
   • 365 p. ; 28 cm. + 44 microfiches (in pocket)
2. A note, "Accompanied by..."
   • Accompanied by 3 CD-ROMs, in pocket, and 4 cards, shelved separately
3. Contents note where appropriate
4. Added entries for accompanying material with distinctive title, with a separate note of explanation, e.g. Accompanying disk has title:

6. Label both the main and the accompanying material carefully, alerting the user to the other item where appropriate (rare materials include such notes on slips or sticks).

1. On the main item, place a specific note in pencil near the barcode.
   • 4 CD-ROMs, in pocket
2. Label each accompanying item, except microfiche, with a property stamp or the name of the holding library, with call number (or title/volume number of unclassed serial volume), in addition to the name of the item and its number as a part of the total. For examples, see p. 3 above, top of page.
3. If the accompanying material is shelved separately, pencil a note, or include a stamp, referring the user to the other format and where it can be requested.

7. Use other appropriate labels:

1. A gold copyright warning notice glued inside the back of a volume accompanying an included disk or CD-ROM, opposite the pocket
2. A "DO NOT DESENSITIZE" stamp on the cover (for magnetic media only)

Investigate possible use of a virus warning label.

8. In general, the Library will barcode the main item, and include a public note ($z) indicating the presence of the accompanying item.

• c.1 [barcode] $z Includes 1 computer disk and 1 CD-ROM.

Where a location wishes to establish or has established a different practice (e.g., the Undergraduate Library), this practice should be communicated to all staff processing items for that location, so that the distinctive procedures can be followed.

Each location may make shelving decisions on accompanying items according to its own needs. Processing areas should try to accommodate any changes needed to online records.

If the material is not shelved with the item, it may be separately barcoded and may even have a separate MFHL if warranted. Reciprocal explanatory notes should be included on each holdings record to explain the situation.

9. Designate accompanying materials inside the primary item by means of an item note on the DRA item record, e.g., Check for ____ in pocket, as an alert to circulation staff.

10. Investigate the cost-effectiveness of duplicating the contents of magnetic disks.

11. Review the policies and procedures the Library uses to manage its collections, along with the state of the collection. Review policies regarding the retrospective use of such techniques as barcoding, inventory, tracing of lost items, withdrawal, and inventory. Investigate the loss rate for various types of materials, including accompanying materials, with a view to determining what measures will reduce the loss rate.