{{umbrella|Titles}}
Works often contain different title pages, with different spellings or wordings of the title. To achieve uniformity in the bibliographical descriptions, '''a strict hierarchy is established to identify the main title''' of the work. This has the advantage, both for the cataloguer as for the user, that there is no doubt about the choice of main title if there are for example multiple title pages present in a publication.
The hierarchy is as follows:
#Cover title or collective title on a separate, so-called collective typographical title page for multi-volume works. If there is only an engraved collective title page present, then the preference goes to the typographical title page of the first volume.
#Title on the typographical title page
#Title on the engraved title page
#Title on the printed cover (very rare for Flemish imprints)
#Title/caption above the text (not a title page in the strict sense of the word, the text starts immediately after the title on that same page)
#Incipit (first meaningful words of the text itself)
#Running title (title that is printed at the top of the page and repeated throughout the entire work)
#Self-selected title on the basis of an earlier edition of the same work
#Self-selected title on the basis of the half title, a mention in the prelims, in the privilege, in the approbation or elsewhere in the document
#Self-selected title on the basis of the general contents of the work
In the case of multiple title pages (collective and/or typographical and/or engraved) present in the work and strongly divergent titles on those, it is usually recommended to '''mention these separate titles in general note'''. For purposes of '''searchability''', it is also recommended to enter them as a 'grouping title'. The half title is neglected. If, however, this title is relatively well-known and strongly divergent of the main title, it may be mentioned in a general note.
Depending on the chosen title, the source-indication for the title information differs. The outline below systematically shows all possible source indications.
!Location of the title||Source||Remarks
|Collective title page||tp.||Diverging title information in a general note<br>Additional information of engraved title page: doc.
|Typographical title page||tp.||Diverging title information in a general note<br>Additional information of engraved title page: doc.
| rowspan="2" |Engraved title page||tp.||If there is no collective or typographical title page
|doc.||If there is a collective or typographical title page
|Caption||doc.||General note: 'No title page; title from f. [...]'
|Running title||doc.||General note: 'No title page; title from running title'
|Self-selected title||ext.||General note: 'No title page; [...]'
|}
The source-indication for information extracted from an engraved title page varies: if there is no typographical title page, the source-indication for the engraved title page is 'title page'; if there is a typographical title page present, the source-indication for the engraved title page is 'document'. The same holds true for the printed cover. The examples in the remarks above are merely indicative.
If any form of title page is lacking (in the hierarchy above numbers 5-9), '''a title is selected''' on the basis of a previous edition (source: 'external') or on the basis of another element '''from the document''' (source: 'document').
If no previous editions are known, or if it is more useful to select a title based on a caption, running title, mention in the preface, privilege or approbation or another indication in the work (source: 'document'), then the location where this 'title' was found in explained in a general note.
<blockquote>'''''Such a general note has the following structure'''''<br>
No title page; title from f. A1 recto (= incipit)<br>
No title page; title from running title; incipit: '[...]'<br>
No title page; title from f. L6 verso (= approbation); incipit: '[...]'<br>
Lacks title page; title from f. A1 recto (= incipit)<br>
Lacks title page; title from running title; incipit: '[...]'<br>
Lacks title page; title from f. L6 verso (= approbation); incipit: '[...]'<br>
Lacks title page; title from the '[...]' edition</blockquote>
If the ideal copy does ''not'' contain a title page, the note starts with 'No title page'; if the ideal copy probably ''does'' contain a title page but that is lacking in the consulted copies, then the note starts with 'Lacks title page'. Then follows the justification for the (temporary) title. If that matches the incipit, the mention of the location (f. [...] recto/verso) is followed by '(= incipit)'. If the title is derived from the running title, the incipit is also named separately. If the title is derived from the approbation, privilege, etc., it is followed by the location and the incipit is named separately.
If the main title does not reflect the contents of the work accurately, the contents need to be '''clarified in a general note'''. It may be that the title is too general, or even suggests a different content. So, too, very short titles and captions that do not supply enough information about the publication, may be further explained in a general note. This could be the case for example with government publications.
It happens that a work contains different texts besides the main work that is announced on the title page. If these additional texts are '''sizeable''' and are, for example, each prefaced by a separate title page, they may be mentioned in a '''note of the type 'with''''. The different authors mentioned on the title page are, in any case, all recorded in the bibliographical description.
In other cases, the title summarises a number of texts, sometimes from '''different authors''', under a common denominator. Different texts by different authors may then be summed up on notes of the type 'with', together with the location where they can be found in the work (f. [...] recto/verso - f. [...] recto/verso).
Example: STCV 12861714 (KUL-C R7A1372)
[http://anet.be/record/stcv/stcvopac/c:stcv:12861714/E STCV 12861714]
{{See also|Separately named parts}}
As stated above, it often happens that different works - potentially by different authors - are presented on the title page. '''Usually, one of those works is more important''' than the others, meaning that all the other texts need to be considered as secondary. The size of the different parts in a publication is usually also an indication of this. Depending on the situation, the secondary texts are mentioned in a note of the type 'with'.
However, now and then it may be that two or more works - potentially by different authors - are presented equally on the title page, so that none of the texts may be considered as secondary. In those cases, the texts in the publication have an '''equal place'''. In this exceptional case, the first title is recorded as main title in the bibliographical description. The other titles, each with their respective authors, are each recorded in a separate description, which remains otherwise empty. To the first full description, relation is added for each work of the type 'Includes' (code: 'incl'). From the adjoining descriptions, this results in a relation of the type 'Included in' (code: 'inclin'). This situation is '''extremely rare''' in Flanders.
For songs on loose sheets with little or no meaningful titles, the incipit is added in a general note. The '''opening line''' of the song, too, is recorded in a general note.
{{See also|material criteria for songs on loose sheet}}
The source-indication for these items is always 'document' and possible options for the title are:
*the often present title/caption above the text
*the incipit (if there is no 'title' above the text)
*if the title above the text is not unique and significant enough, a (possibly shortened) title and significant part of the incipit are chosen. This is often the case in government ordinances that start with a stereotypical form of address
{{See also|Single-sheet prints (broadsides)}}
<blockquote>Title on the engraved title page: [...] (if the engraved title page mentions a strongly divergent title, or a title by which the work is generally known)<br>
Some copies have [...] in the title (if a title page shows different states)<br>
Some copies have the engraved title page of the [...] edition<br>
On [...] (clarification of the contents of a work)<br>
Text in Dutch and French (if the language of the title would suggest something different)<br>
Brvgge on the title page pencorrected from Brvgce</blockquote>
If a work has more than one edition or if it is translated from another language, it is recommended to determine a grouping title. The grouping title allows to '''group all editions''' of a specific work, or for translations to '''group all translations''' by language.
For translations, the grouping title is that of the source text. For a second of later edition, it is the title of the first or earliest known edition.
Bibles receive a uniform title and not a grouping title. They are not considered a translation, with regards to this part of the bibliographical description.
Since the grouping title is '''merely an additional element''', it need not be treated with the same rigour as the main title. If the title in the source language is difficult to retrieve or if information about previous editions is lacking, a temporary, hypothetical title is sufficient, or something based on another title.
A uniform title is systematically added to the bibliographical description of '''bibles and bible parts''' (separately published bible books), the description of '''popular anonymous works''' and the description of '''liturgical works'''. These uniform titles are already recorded in the Brocade title thesaurus. The main form of these is always selected for the bibliographical description. The lists of uniform titles for bible books and for liturgical works are built up in a '''hierarchy''', meaning groups of books may be classed under a common denominator. If more than one bible book is present in a publication, the level that spans all present books is selected, even if not all of them are found in the publication itself.
{{See also|List of uniform title for bible books}}
There is also a list of some popular Dutch-language anonymous works.
{{See also|List of uniform titles for popular anonymous works}}
And a list of liturgical works.
{{See also|List of liturgical works}}
The '''title field''' for the filing title (for government publications, theses, periodicals, almanacs and auction catalogues) is straightforward: in this field a code is entered for the type of publication (respectively: '<ORD>', '<THE>', '<PER>', '<ALM>' and '<AUC>').
The choice of the date that needs to be entered in the '''extension field''' is sometimes a bit problematic. It often happens that a publication mentions several dates; the date on which the placard or ordinance was for example issued by the king; then the date on which the local government (for example a town magistrate) ratified and approved it; the date on which it was drawn up and/or signed by a secretary during a meeting; the date on which the placard or ordinance actually came into effect. Variants and combinations of these dates appear in the works.
The rule is that we choose the date on which the document was actually put into place for a specific location and record this in the extension field. The other dates, in as far as they were not already mentioned in the title field, are given in a general note. Similarly, unclear situations in which it is hard to distinguish one date from another, are explained in a general note.
Parallel titles are only added if the title page of a work mentions '''consecutive titles in different languages''', for example first in Latin and then in Dutch. Both titles only differ in language, not or hardly in contents. The titles are clearly presented separately, '''without prefatory wordings''' such as 'ofte', 'dat is', 'sive', ... The first title is chosen as main title. The following titles are each recorded separately as parallel titles, regardless of the total number of parallel titles. They are added in the same order as is given on the title page.