Provenance Notes and Tracings
General Policies
Specific Types of Provenance Evidence
- Autographs
- Booksellers’ labels
- Booksellers’ stamps
- Institutional inscriptions
- Manuscript notes and annotations
- Presentation inscriptions
- Stamps
Notes
Record provenance evidence in a succinct local note. Include key information, preferably as it appears in the item, but omit extraneous data. The note may be in the form of statements such as:
Presentation inscription from Filia [to Nina Berberova], Aug. 1970.
Autograph and ms. notes of Nina Berberova.
Author’s presentation inscription to John T. Doe, Jan. 15, 1993.
Or the note may be in a brief form giving the type of evidence followed by a colon (the colon implies that what follows is quoted):
Autograph: John T. Doe, Feb. 22, 1986.
Bookplate: Ex libris Hiram Bingham.
Ownership inscription: Datu[m] a generoso Mgo. Rudberto de Mosham Andre de Teuffenpach, anno D[omi]ni 1522.
If using quotation marks is clearer and more succinct than using a colon, use them.
Provenance is traced using two types of headings: form/genre headings and name headings. For a list of form/genre headings used by the Map Department, consult the Form and Genre page.
Trace names as local subject headings (coded 692 or 693 with second indicator 4). Use the following local subdivisions as appropriate:
‡x Autograph.
‡x Bookplate.
‡x Inscription. [used for institutions]
‡x Ms. notes.
‡x Ownership. [used when there is no provenance evidence in the item]
‡x Presentation inscription.
‡x Presentation inscription to [forename initials] [surname].
‡x Presentation inscription from [forename initials] [surname].
‡x Stamp.
Make a separate name tracing for each type of evidence.
Example:
| 590 | ‡a SMLMAPL xx xxx: Autograph and ms. notes of Nina Berberova. | ||
| 692 | 1 | 4 | ‡a Berberova, Nina Nikolaevna ‡x Autograph. |
| 692 | 1 | 4 | ‡a Berberova, Nina Nikolaevna ‡x Ms. notes. |
Use the authorized form of name. If the name has not been established, use the fullest form of name found in online bibliographical files. If not found, generally make no further attempt identify the person or institution; trace the name as found in the item. In rare instances the cataloger may search in appropriate reference sources if in his or her judgment it seems desirable and likely to yield results, especially for Latinized names. Authority records are not routinely made for names new to the Yale catalog unless references are needed or important information needs to be recorded.
When several separately cataloged works are bound together and the provenance evidence pertains to all the items, trace evidence pertaining only to the record for that item.
Trace provenance for each item cataloged, with the following exception: if a list of the items in a collection exists, the Map Department director may indicate that the provenance is not to be traced. If there is any question, the cataloger should consult with the appropriate Map Department librarian.
Specific Types of Evidence
If a former owner associated with an armorial bookplate can be identified, make the following tracings:
| 692 | 1 | 4 | ‡a [Name] ‡x Bookplate. |
| 655 | 7 | ‡a Armorial bookplates (Provenance) ‡2 rbprov ‡5 CtY |
If the former owner associated with an armorial bookplate cannot be identified, make only the final tracing. If the unidentified bookplate includes a motto, quote it in a local note.
Autograph notes tracings are made only for names that are clearly decipherable; do not spend time trying to identify an autograph that cannot be read. It is assumed that any name written in a book is an autograph, although this is not necessarily true. Autograph tracings are usually not made for common names that cannot be identified, such as W. Smith, J. Brown, etc.
Make a tracing for the personal name or institution name followed by the subdivision “Bookplate”.
Ignore bookplates of Yale institutions (e.g. Yale College, Yale University, Yale Library).
Example:
| 692 | 1 | 4 | ‡a [Name] ‡x Bookplate. |
Do not make a name tracing. Make a form/genre tracing only; subdivide by name (in direct rather than inverted order).
Example:
| 590 | ‡a SMLMAPL xx xxx: Bookseller’s labels: Barry Williams, buyer and seller of good books, 97a High St., Marlborough. | ||
| 655 | 7 | ‡a Booksellers’ labels (Provenance) ‡x Barry Williams. ‡2 local ‡5 CtY |
Do not make a name tracing. Make a form/genre tracing only; subdivide by name (in direct rather than inverted order).
Example:
| 590 | ‡a SMLMAPL xx xxx: Bookseller’s stamp: E.S. Fowler. | ||
| 655 | 7 | ‡a Booksellers’ stamps (Provenance) ‡x E.S. Fowler. ‡2 local ‡5 CtY-BR |
Make a tracing for the institution name followed by the subdivision “Inscription.” Make a note and tracing for items inscribed Yale College Library. Ignore items inscribed Yale University.
Example:
| 692 | 4 | ‡a [Name] ‡x Inscription. |
Manuscript notes and annotations
Make the following tracings:
| 692 | 1 | 4 | ‡a [Name] ‡x Ms. notes. |
| 655 | 7 | ‡a Annotations (Provenance) ‡y [Known or estimated century of annotations]. ‡2 rbprov ‡5 CtY |
Notes must be textual in nature to receive a tracing, not just markings, underlinings, vertical marginal strokes, etc.
Make a tracing for each presenter and for each recipient. Base the form of name used in the subdivision on the authorized heading but shorten it by omitting dates and changing all forenames into initials (do not separate the initials with spaces).
Examples:
| 692 | 1 | 4 | ‡a Smith, John Devon ‡x Presentation inscription to R.A. Stephens. |
| 692 | 1 | 4 | ‡a Stephens, Richard Alan ‡x Presentation inscription from J.D. Smith. |
For author’s presentation copies, make a tracing for the author as presenter even if the author’s name does not appear in the inscription (e.g. when the note is simply signed “from the author”). Make a tracing for Yale College Library if the book was inscribed to the College or Library before 1887. Do not make a second tracing for the library if the author has inscribed a book to the Yale University Library. If only the presenter or only the recipient can be identified, make the tracing as follows:
| 692 | 1 | 4 | ‡a [Name] ‡x Presentation inscription. |
Make a tracing for the personal name or institution name followed by the subdivision “Stamp”.
Make a tracing if the item is stamped Yale College. Do not make if it is stamped Yale University.
Example:
| 692 | 1 | 4 | ‡a [Name] ‡x Stamp. |