College and Research Libraries


The National Union Catalog, 1952-1955 
Imprints—A Publication in Early Prospect 

By C H A R L E S W . D A V I D 

AL O N G - C H E R I S H E D D R E A M of American librarians was finally realized in 
1956 when the content of the already ex-
isting Library of Congress [printed] Cata-
log-Books: Authors was expanded, under 
the title, The National Union Catalog: A 
Cumulative Author List, to include cata-
log entries for monographic works of 
1956 and later imprint cataloged orig-
inally by more than five hundred im-
portant cooperating libraries in the 
United States and Canada. T h e result 
was to make available to librarians and 
to scholars everywhere a bibliography 
more than twice as rich as its predecessor. 
In addition, the expanded National 
Union Catalog shows the locations of 
many titles in several geographic areas of 
the United States and Canada. 

As a major step in planning for the 
publication of the National Union Cata-
log, particularly as a means of estimating 
the probable size and cost of the pro-
posed publication, it was decided in 1952 
that the Union Catalog Division of the 
Library of Congress should set aside in a 
separate file all cards for author entries 
of monographic materials of 1952-1955 
imprint, including copies of all appro-
priate Library of Congress printed cards. 
T h i s 1952-1955 imprint segment of the 
National U n i o n Catalog contained 376,-
000 cards at the beginning of 1956. By 
January 1960 it had grown to about 560,-
000 cards, representing about 212,500 
main entries on Library of Congress 
cards, 225,000 different entries from 
other libraries, and about 100,000 added-
entry cross references and duplicate 
cards. By comparison with older parts of 
the National Union Catalog, this file 

Mr. David is Director, Longwood Library, 
Kennett Square, Pa., and sometime chairman 
of the Subcommittee on the National Union 
Catalog, ALA Committee on Resources of 
American Libraries. 

was editorally in a relatively g o o d condi-
tion. 

As a result of the demonstrated value 
of the published National Union Cata-
log which began to appear in 1956 and 
of the fact that the 1952-1955 imprint 
file formed a compact, separate union 
catalog which would readily lend itself 
to efficient editing and publication, the 
Subcommittee on the National Union 
Catalog of the A L A Committee on Re-
sources of American Libraries decided 
in 1959 to sponsor the publication of 
this 1952-1955 segment as a second step 
in the hoped-for undertaking which may 
some day give us the whole vast retro-
spective National Union Catalog in con-
venient printed form. Accordingly, the 
present writer, then chairman of the 
subcommittee, explored the interest of 
a large number of representative libraries 
by means of a questionnaire, the re-
sponse to which was very encouraging, 
and arranged to obtain financial back-
ing on a scale adequate to support the 
editing of the file in a comprehensive 
manner. T h e editorial operation was 
started at the Library of Congress in 
1959 and is now near enough to comple-
tion to assure publication during the 
winter of 1960/61. Publication will be by 
J. W . Edwards, Inc., of A n n Arbor, 
Michigan. 

J U L Y 1 9 6 0 275 



R E L A T I O N T O E X I S T I N G P U B L I C A T I O N S 

T h e new publication will at a stroke 
push the coverage of the National Union 
Catalog back from January 1, 1956 to 
January 1, 1952. T h e advantages of mak-
ing the contents of this file available in 
book form to libraries all over the na-
tion and the world are obvious, namely 
a great increase in the supply of biblio-
graphical information for identifying, lo-
cating, acquiring, and cataloging mono-
graphs of the period in question, such as 
has proved so useful in the National 
Union Catalog since 1956. For non-
monographic materials, the publication 
is supplemented by the Union List of 
Serials (soon to go into a third edition) 
and, so far as the holdings of the Library 
of Congress are concerned, by the Cata-
log of Books Represented by Library of 
Congress Printed Cards. 

T h e publication will contribute a 
further demonstration, if such were 
needed, that only by a cooperative effort 
of a large number of research libraries 
can the vast and scattered resources con-
tained in titles held by many libraries 
be marshalled for convenient reference 
and scholarly use. N o library today can 
meet the demands of scholarship and re-
search out of its own resources. T h e Na-
tional Union Catalog, 1952-1955, will 
serve as a key to resources available be-
yond the library of one's choice and also 
as an indicator of gaps among research 
materials still needing to be filled. 

S C O P E 

T h e new publication will contain 
main entries for all monographic ma-
terials of 1952 through 1955 imprint 
date reported to the U n i o n Catalog Divi-
sion of the Library of Congress, with the 
exception of American master's theses, 
material printed in Oriental languages 
or in the Cyrillic alphabet, music scores, 
motion pictures, filmstrips, phonorec-
ords, and books in Braille, but including 
maps, atlases, microcards, microfilms, 

etc. A d d e d entries for titles represented 
by Library of Congress printed cards, es-
sential added-entry cross references for 
titles not represented by Library of Con-
gress printed cards, and essential straight 
cross references for all titles will be pro-
vided. 

E D I T I N G 

T h e catalog is being edited by the Li-
brary of Congress. All obvious duplica-
tion of entries is being removed. It is 
realized, however, that the variation in 
form and choice of entry among more 
than five hundred contributing libraries 
may result in involuntary duplication of 
an occasional title under various forms 
of entry. T h e entries are not being 
checked for uniformity with the Library 
of Congress Catalog, though entries 
which obviously deviate from A L A cata-
loging rules or Library of Congress prac-
tice are being modified. T h e complete-
ness of bibliographical information varies 
from title to title and depends on the 
practice of libraries submitting the cata-
log cards and on the photographic possi-
bilities of reproduction (e.g., tracings on 
the verso of catalog cards cannot be 
shown). 

P H Y S I C A L D E S C R I P T I O N A N D A N T I C I P A T E D 
P R I C E 

T h e publication will duplicate the 
physical pattern of the Catalog of Books 
Represented by Library of Congress 
Printed Cards (the so-called Edwards 
Brothers Catalog), showing, in photo-off-
set reproduction, eighteen catalog cards 
to a page, arranged in three columns of 
six cards each. Each volume will contain 
1,000 pages, size 11 x 8i/2 inches, on 25 
per cent rag offset paper, in strong buck-
ram binding. It is estimated that the 
set will contain 540,000 entries, making 
thirty volumes, and sell at a price of 
$420. Should the set run to more than 
thirty volumes, which is not anticipated, 
the price would be increased on a pro 
rata basis. 

276 C O L L E G E A N D R E S E A R C H L I B R A R I E S