Providing Access by Form of Material, Genre, and Physical Characteristics: Benefits and Techniques

Form, genre, and physical characteristics are basic elements in the description of archival material. Either alone or in combination with such other information as name of originating agency, subject, place, and date, they are a powerful retrieval tool that is only beginning to be exploited. The authors summarize the value of access by type of material, describe the vocabulary lists currently in use by archivists and other special collections communities, and outline benefits of distinguishing subject headings from form headings. They focus on catalog entries in systems using the USMARC bibliographic format, with special attention to retrieval issues in catalogs shared by archival, rare book, and visual material collections. Their conclusion calls for increased use of form headings and more cooperation to ensure effective access.