24X - Titles

According to BF&S the 245 tag "consists of the title proper and may also contain alternative title, parallel title(s), other title information, the remainder of the title page transcription, and statement(s) of responsibility. The title proper includes the numerical designation of a part/section and the name of a part/section." This seems pretty clear, but what about other stuff that seems like a title? That is where the 246 tag comes in.

The 246 tag contains (again, per BF&S) "variant forms of the title appearing on different parts of a resource, or a portion of the title proper, or an alternative form of the title when the form differs substantially from the title statement in field 245, that contribute to the further identification or retrieval of the resource."

The subfields for the 246 tag mostly parallel the subfields in the 245 tag:

a - contains the title
b - contains the "remainder of the title", aka the sub-title
f - dates
n - number of parts/sections
p - names of parts/sections

The key to understanding this tag, which can be repeated as many times as needed, is the indicators.

The value of the first indicator controls how the title will function in the record:

0 - Note, no added entry -- displays a note, but title won't be searchable -- rarely used
1 - Note, added entry -- displays a note and makes the title searchable
2 - No note, no added entry -- rarely used, because what's the point?
3 - No note, added entry -- title is searchable, but doesn't display in the public record

The value of the second indicator tells you what kind of title you are looking at:

0 - Portion of title
        245  14   The Oxford dictionary of dance
        246  30  Dictionary of dance

1 - Parallel title (Ttitle in another language when a 2nd title page isn't present.)

2 - Distinctive title (Title a work is known as but that isn't actually the title.)
        245  10  Manual of the ... New Hampshire General Court
        246  32  Black Book

3 - Other title (Titles not specified by another 2nd indicator value and not specifically identified using subfield ǂi. Other titles might include masthead titles, half titles, binder's titles, and colophon titles. Used primarily for serials.

4 - Cover title

5 - Added title page title (When there are multiple title pages, in different languages for example, the title that wasn't used as the title proper goes here.)

6 - Caption title (Printed at the head of the first page of text or music.)

7 - Running title (Repeated in the top or bottom margin of each, or every other, page.)
        245  14  The descendants of John Fall of Berwick, Maine
        246  17  Fall genealogy

8 - Spine title
        245  10 Portraits of Piermont, New Hampshire, in celebration of our 250th birthday!
        246  38  Portraits of Piermont, NH

If the second indicator in the 246 is blank, there can be a subfield i containing the text of the note that will display with the title to explain what it is. For example: The LCSH is also commonly referred to as "Red Book" and there is a 246 in the record that tells you that. A 246 with a blank second indicator is also what is used to provide title access points that spell out abbreviations, acronyms, ampersands, etc., occurring in the title proper.