I sent this to the SACO discussion list, but thought SAC might also be interested...
One of the decisions in the Summary of Decisions, Editorial Meeting Number 03 raises some questions for us:
Gender transition in art
The work being cataloged is a piece of art about gender transition rather than a book about gender transition representation in art. The heading Gender transition should be used along with a genre/form term, Artists' books. The proposal is not approved.
This decision seems to reflect a change in practice for "... in art" headings. The Subject Headings Manual H 1250 sec. 1 f) says
f. Theme. Assign a heading for theme if the art focuses on a readily identifiable theme clearly intended by the artist as a central subject (person, place, event, concept, etc.).
Examples:
600 00 $a Mary, $c Blessed Virgin, Saint $v Art.
600 10 $a Washington, George, $d 1732-1799 $x Portraits.
650 #0 $a Flags in art.
651 #0 $a Paris (France) $v In art.
650 #0 $a World War, 1939-1945 $x Art and the war.
Section 1 covers works by more than one artist, so I can see how this might not apply to an artist book by one person. However, section 2 on art by a single artist says in 2 a):
Assign additional headings for style or movement, theme, location, and ownership in accordance with the instructions for art by more than one artist.
And it has an example with an "... in art" heading and another with a $v In art subdivision:
Kunisada, an artist in the Kabuki theatre : an exhibition of the Japanese prints in the Antell Collection.
600 10 $a Utagawa, Toyokuni, $d 1786-1865 $v Exhibitions.
650 #0 $a Kabuki in art $v Exhibitions.
600 10 $a Antell, H. F. $x Art collections $v Exhibitions.
650 #0 $a Color prints $x Private collections $z Finland $z Helsinki $v Exhibitions.
Giacometti's Paris : lithographs.
600 10 $a Giacometti, Alberto, $d 1901-1966.
651 #0 $a Paris (France) $v In art.
We have proposed numerous "... in art" headings over the years for artist books that have a particular theme, all of which have been approved previously. The decision above seems to reflect a change in practice by LC. Is that intentional?
Adam Schiff
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Adam Schiff
Principal Cataloger
University of Washington Libraries
He/Him/His
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