{{umbrella|Imprint}}
The first 'imprint' field contains the printer information of the imprint that is highest in the hierarchy. This is also true for the other elements (function, place, year) discussed below.
The printer's name is recorded differently depending on the source of the imprint.
*Imprint from the title page or the colophon: we use the variant name form as it is noted on the title page or in the colophon as a reference term.
*Imprint from the document or from an external source: only the main form is recorded. The additional variant name forms are added to the printers thesaurus but they are not linked to the bibliographical database record.
When the attribution in the external source is not completely certain, the printer is not recorded in the imprint field but mentioned in a general note. When the attribution is largely speculative, it is not mentioned.
If the printer is unknown or uncertain, 'sine nomine' (a::06.2510) is noted in the 'imprint' field, with 'extern' as source indication. Fanciful statements in the imprint such as 'printed for the Amateurs' are neglected.
Both the main form and the reference terms of a printer are saved in the printers thesaurus. When creating a new printer in this thesaurus, you need to be mindful that the main form is representative for the printer and that it is possible to distinguish printers bearing the same name.
Ideally, the selected main form is that name under which a printer is best known, either by the frequency or the tradition. The main form can, if need be, always be altered as the choice is arbitrary. Variant name forms or reference terms, however, may never be deleted or adapted: the refer to specific variants present in the books and bibliographical database records.
The following rules are in place for creating a main form:
#The name is noted in this order: surname, particles, first name, number. Printers with the same name are distinguished by Roman numerals. Further confusion is avoided by adding the dates of birth and death in the biographical scope note.
#Additional indications like 'widow of', 'heirs of', and so on are recorded in the extension of the name.
#When multiple printers (often within the family) worked on an edition together and this partnership is evident from the joint presentation of their names in one imprint, a new main form is created for this partnership. The first name is added according to the rules mentioned above, the next names in their natural order. Names of printers that cooperated are connected using an ampersand (&).
<blockquote>'''''Example: main form and reference terms for a printer'''''
Hastens, van, Henrick
::Henrick van Hastens
::Henrick van Haestens
::Henricus Hastenius</blockquote>
<blockquote>'''''Example: main form and reference terms for a printer's widow'''''
Hastens, van, Henrick [Widow]
::apud viduam Henrici Hastenii
Bellerus, Petrus [Widow and Heirs]
::apud viduam & haeredes Petri Belleri</blockquote>
<blockquote>'''''Example: main form and reference terms for a partnership'''''
Lesteens, Guilliam & Hendrik I Aertssens
::prostant apud Guilielmum Lesteenium, et Henricum Aertssens</blockquote>
As indicated above, each reference term is stored in the printers thesaurus. For the transcription of reference terms, the following rules are in place:
#The name variant is quoted as it is presented in the printed work.
#Punctuation and spacing is retained. Even semicolons meant to be comma's or colons meant to indicate abbreviation are retained.
#Capitals at the beginning of a name are retained, others are reduced to lower case.
#The real ligatures æ, œ, Æ and Œ are noted as such. Other ligatures are dissolved.
#The combination of 2 V's is retained, both in upper and in lower case. When the combination 'VV' or 'vv' is meant to suggest 'W' or respectively 'w' by re-cutting one of the letters, the letter is noted as 'W' or respectively 'w'.
#Variant letter forms are not distinguished. The long ſ is displayed as a normal 's' and ß as 'ss', also in German.
#Abbreviations are generally retained. A number of common abbreviations indicated by a ''titulus'' are resolved between square brackets: 'vandê' becomes 'vande[n]', 'VÂ' becomes 'va[n]'.
#The gothic (blackletter) capitals I/J and U/V are always read and reduced as I/i and V/v.
#Cursive is not distinguished.
#Imprints in non-Latin alphabets are transcribed.
For living languages (Dutch, French, Italian, Spanish, ...) the function-indication is structurally retained: the normalised name form of the printer is added to the printer field; the 'function' field contains an indication of the mention from the imprint.
For Latin imprints, however, the function-indication present before or after a printer's name, is included in the transcription of the reference term. There is therefore no separate function-indication. The full function-indication is normalised by reducing it to lower case.
<blockquote>'''''Exception'''''
''If the printer's name is declined even though the imprint is in a living language, this declined form is retained together with the relevant conjunction. However, this is very rare, for example in German imprints or on rare occasion perhaps in a Dutch imprint.''</blockquote>
<blockquote>'''''Example'''''
Engel vanden Hove, Claer bevvys vande catholijcke waerheydt, van twee controverse artikelen, te weten van't vaghevyer ende aflaten, Loven, ''bij Bernardinum Maesium'', 1630</blockquote>
As indicated earlier, the imprint can sometimes mention an author. Such mentions are more or less explicit. They can be for example 'voor den autheur' (for the author), 'gedrukt voor Arnout van Geluwe' (printer for Arnout van Geluwe), 'sumptibus authoris' (at the author's expense), ... The author then gets an authority record in the printers thesaurus. The main form and reference term (e.g. 'den autheur', 'Arnout van Geluwe', 'sumptibus authoris') are included in the bibliographical record. The function-indication becomes 'Gedrukt voor/op kosten van' (Printed for/at the expense of). For Latin formulations, the function-indication is left blank.
Authority records for printers are, unlike all the other authority records (personal author, corporate author, geographical code), NOT shared with Anet or any other group within Brocade. STCV has its own set of authority records for printers. They are marked clearly by the STCV-turtle-logo. This means '''you may only use those records marked as belonging to STCV!''' If you cannot find an STCV-authority record for a printer but you do find a printer's authority record marked Anet, you may NOT use this. Instead, a separate record for that printer needs to be created for use in STCV. When in doubt, please get in touch.
*Find the person you need in the authority records, make sure it is an STCV-record, click on the specific record and select 'bewerk' [edit]
*Unfreeze the record by checking 'Bevries/ontdooi dit record' [freeze/unfreeze this record] and clicking on 'registreer' [register]
*Under 'Lidmaatschappen' [Memberships]:
**leave everything as is (do NOT uncheck anything)
*Main form:
**leave as is
**select when needed
*Reference terms:
**leave as is
**select the one you need
**create a new one if needed (see transcription rules + enter 'STCV' for lidmaatschap [membership])
*Scope notes:
**Biography: add extra bibliographical references when relevant; otherwise leave as is
**Address: place where the printer/publisher/bookseller was active
***check whether the imprint on your copy offers additional information
***if so, add it (e.g. add year to 'Antwerpen 1624-1628, 1630, 1633-1645'); if not, leave as is
**Sign: e.g. 'in de rode leeuw'; this often offers a clue to a printer's device
***check whether the imprint on your copy offers additional information
***if so, add it; if not, leave as is
**Profession: professional title or type e.g. bookseller, printer, but also city printer, printer of the archbishop, etc.
***check whether the imprint on your copy offers additional information
***if so, add it; if not, leave as is
*click 'registreer' [register]
*check 'Bevries/ontdooi dit record' [freeze/unfreeze this record] and, again, click on 'registreer' [register]<br>
'''All authority records used by STCV should be frozen at all times!'''
*Double check carefully that the printer is not already available in the existing authority records. This is not always immediately clear in Brocade; check again in the STCV opac to be 100% sure
*Unless you know exactly what you need to do to create a new printer's authority record (ideally with bibliographical references), send an email to us and we will create it for you!