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Belles-lettres Cataloging Handbook

Foreign language resources

There are a number of resources available to the cataloger dealing with material in unfamiliar languages. Obviously, the language dictionaries and library catalogs listed in the Useful links section are extremely helpful. This page discusses the print resources available in the Bib Center that are helpful for cataloging belles-lettres in Western European languages. Since many of these print resources date from before automation of cataloging and the advent of online catalogs however, the page of foreign language terms at the Memorial University of Newfoundland Libraries is also useful for cataloging and searching online catalogs in all the major foreign languages.

Useful print resources

Vocabularium bibliothecarii, 2nd ed. 1962, compiled by Anthony Thompson. [Z1006 T47 1962a]

This book includes a total of 2,800 terms in English, French, German, Spanish and Russian. The words are not arranged alphabetically but using the Universal Decimal Classification: however, there are extensive indexes for each language so it easy to locate a particular word in a particular language. Though there is quite a heavy focus on words connected with binding, typewriting, and other things of less interest to modern automated cataloging, the sections on forms of publication, knowledge and documentation, writing, orthography and punctuation, librarianship and decoration, ornament are all particularly useful.

A manual of European languages for librarians, by C.G. Allen. London: Bowker, 1975. [P380 A4 cop.4 SER]

This book is probably the most thorough language manual for catalogers, although again it is slightly out of date by now. It is organized by family of language (Romance, Germanic, etc.). Each section includes general linguistic characteristics of each language, covering aspects like order of words, inflection, history, and relation to other languages. It also covers bibliolinguistics, that is a discussion of language related to bibliographic description including forms of names, titles, numeration, editions and series. There is a section the alphabet, describing capitalization, punctuation and abbreviations. Articles and other parts of speech are also discussed. Each language then has a list of useful vocabulary. This is the most useful single work for cataloging foreign language materials.

Abbreviations and technical terms used in book catalogs and in bibliographies, by Frank Keller Walter. Boston: Boston Book Co., 1912. [010.3.WZ31 cop.2]

This work covers the following languages: English, French, German, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch, Italian, Latin, Spanish, and Swedish. It includes a useful list of abbreviations by language as well as a list of honorary title abbreviations.

Bibliographers glossary of foreign words and phrases, by Barbara Cowles. New York: Bowker, 1933. [010.3 C875]

This glossary is a useful alphabetical list with all the languages combined. There is good coverage of all the major Western European languages, making a good quick reference resource.

Languages for librarians, by Andrew D. Osborn. Prelim. ed. Pittsburgh, Pa., 1965. [PB36.07]

The layout of this book makes it quite difficult to navigate: in the section on German, the vocabulary is grouped under headwords in German which can make it difficult to find things. There is a useful list of abbreviations (p. 23-5). The Spanish and French glossaries and lists of abbreviations are alphabetical and much easier to use. However, it is quite out of date.

Dictionarium bibliothecarii practicum = Librarian's Practical Dictionary in 22 languages, 7th ed. Munich: Verlag Dokumentation, 1977. [Z1006 P67 1977b]

This dictionary covers 22 languages. There is a table at the start of useful terms in all the languages - very thorough. Then an alphabetical list by language of all the words included, with notes on which entries they appear in and, for ease of reference, the months, days, numbers (ordinal and cardinal). This is a really useful and thorough work, very user-friendly in its layout.

Manual of foreign languages for the use of printers and translators, by George F. Von Ostermann & A.E. Giegengack, 3rd ed. Washington, D.C.: US GPO, 1936. [094.25.U58]

This work covers a large number of languages, from all over the world. It includes a section on diacritical marks. It has a table of selected useful terms in all the languages (volume, page, ed., part, number, revised, enlarged, etc.). For each language, then, there is a pronunciation table for the alphabet, some linguistic information, then most usefully, at the end a list of cardinal and ordinal numbers, months of the year, days of the week, seasons and articles to be disregarded in filing (though this would obviously have to be checked against the current LC list).

Last modified: August 17, 2005