Access Points for Non-Human Actors Discussion and Proposals
with Nancy B. Olson
Saturday, 28 September, 3:45 PM, Kellogg 2&3
This topic is one I have thought about over the past 20 or so years -- it arose this past year as I began doing more workshops on cataloging DVDs/videos/film. I encountered a number of titles in which an animal, or cartoon character, or mechanical device was an actor, but couldn't be given an added entry. Retrieval as a subject heading was not appropriate, nor was retrieval through genre headings.
I had hoped to have this information published in the March OLAC newsletter, leading to some online discussion and a session at the OLAC conference, but this didn't work out. So here is a statement of the problem. If interested, please attend the session to be held Saturday at 3:30 pm, and let's talk about the problem and see what can be done.
Every now and then a question arises about making added entries for non-human entities, such as puppets, animals, or special characters of all kinds. AACR2 21.29 is written in terms of persons, corporate bodies, and titles, but does not allow for non-human things. The Library of Congress has stated that animals and puppets and cartoon characters and other things may have subject headings, but not added entries. This has always bothered me, as many times the character in question is not the subject of the work being cataloged but is an actor playing a role. I first struggled with this many years ago while setting up the cataloging of Mr. Rogers television programs for the archival collection at the University of Pittsburgh. I argued that the puppet characters were actors in performances about aspects of growing up, ethics, and/or moral values. There were definite subjects addressed in each program, and the puppets were the actors. As such, I felt added entries were needed for the characters, rather than subject headings.
I was reminded of this while cataloging the DVD, The Mask, for my recent workshops. The dog character is an actor in that film. In the credits he is listed as:
Max as Milo the dog
I understand Max has appeared in various television roles as well as in this film. There are many animal actors that have appeared in numerous productions, but we don't provide the same type of access for them as we do for human actors.
And what about mechanical contrivances such as C3PO and R2D2? Should they have their own entries? Might these be related to ships and spaceships that may have main and added entries?
It seems to me that if we can make entries for spirits (AACR2 21.26, Spirit communications) we can make entries for other things such as puppets and animals and devices.
Another category is that of characters in fiction -- Lord Peter Wimsey, for example. These characters are available only through subject access or genre access.
Last updated: October 29, 2002
http://www.olacinc.org/conferences/2002/access.html
neumeist@buffalo.edu