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Creator

 

 

 

Element Name

Creator

 

Definition

The person, agency, or organization primarily responsible for creating the intellectual content of the resource.

 

Where Can the Creator Information be Found?

Creators include any person/company/organization that was centrally involved in creating the item and may be found on:

Item Type
 Information Sources
For text
  • title page
  • cover
 For images
  • bottom or back of a photograph
  • envelope, slip cover, or case
 For maps
  • statement in a caption
  • notes around the outside of the map
 For music scores
 
  • top of page
  • title page
  • table of contents
 For videos
 
  • title screen(s)
  • label on disc
  • container cover
 For sound files
  • information on disc/cassette
  • container information
 For computer files
 
  • title page/screen
  • statement in a header/footer

In some cases creators may come from accompanying or supplementary information.

 

How Creator Works in the Metadata Form

Parts:
1. Creator name -- text field
2. Creator type -- drop-down menu
3. Creator role -- drop-down menu
4. Creator information -- text field
Repeatable?
Yes - to include multiple creators, click 'Add' to repeat all field parts

 

How Should the Creator be Filled in?

General Creator Rules

  • Only include individuals/organizations who were primarily responsible for the creation of the item
  • Include as many creators as are readily available
  • Place them in order of importance
  • If creators are equally important, list them in the order that they appear
  • For each creator, include the name, type, and role
  • If possible, consult an authority file to find the correct form of the name, including:
  • If a creator is also a publisher, repeat the information in both fields
  • If no creator information is readily available, leave the field blank
 

Creator Names

Guidelines Examples
 Individual Names:
  • Enter as much of the names as are known using proper formatting:
  • Invert names (Last, First Middle)
  • Use initials if the full names are not known
  • Use spaces between initials
  • Put additional middle names after the first name
  • Consider both parts of a hyphenated name the 'last name'
  • Consider multiple parts (von, de la, etc.) as part of the last name

Hébert, Rachel Bluntzer

Reid, Samuel C.

Blackburn, J. K. P.

Briscoe, Mary Jane Harris

Donahue-Smith, James A. 

de la Peña, L. R.
 
  • Use appropriate abbreviations:
  • Only include known titles (Dr., Rev., Capt., etc.) before the first name if:
  • The title is necessary for clarification of the name
  • The title is the only part of the name known (aside from a surname)
  • Include relevant suffixes at the end of the name after a second comma




Morris, Mrs. Harry Joseph

Jones, Dr.


Roberts, Frank H. H., Jr
 Kittrell, Norman G. (Norman Goree), 1849-1927
 
  • If the same person is responsible for multiple items:
    • Enter the name as consistently as possible in every record
    • If the name changes and it is certainly the same person
  • Use the form on the item as the creator name
  • Include the former/later name as creator information
  • When in doubt, enter the name as it appears on the specific item
Gaines, Ann
Sanders, Ann
 
  • Do not include nicknames or abbreviations (alternate names will go in the information section)
  • If it is unclear which part of the name is the surname, enter the name as it appears on the item
 
 Organizational Names:
  • Use the names as they appear in the item for non-government or single-level bodies
  • Do not invert personal names that are parts of organizational names
Dallas Heritage Village

R. L. Polk & Co.
  • For hierarchical agencies:
  • List the highest level agency or body at the beginning and the lowest at the end
  • Separate the elements of the hierarchy with periods
  • Preface names of government agencies with the name of the country or state
  • If a hierarchy is unclear, record the name as it appears on the resource
Texas State College for Women. College of Industrial Arts.

United States. Pennsylvania.

Texas. Adjutant General's Office.
 
  • For United States agencies:
  • Spell out "United States" unless the name is taken from a catalog or source that abbreviates it
  • In the case of a long (well-known) name, it may be shortened by eliminating unnecessary parts
For example, to enter the CIA, use the form in the Library of Congress Authorities
Not: United States. National Security Council. Central Intelligence Agency.
United States. Central Intelligence Agency.

 

 

Creator Type

  • Choose the appropriate creator type:
    • Person - an individual
    • Organization - a company, organization, association, agency, or institution
    • Event - a conference or other event that produces papers and materials

 

  • If it is unclear whether the creator name belongs to an individual or an organization, use 'Person' and format the name appropriately.  (If it is important to clarify this choice, you can include a Non-Displaying Note.)

 

 

Creator Role

 

 

Guidelines Examples
If the role is not listed:
  • Choose 'Other'
  • Include clarification in the 'Information' section
Name: Phillips, Nelson
Role: Other
Information: Speaker; Associate Justice of the Supreme Court
If more than one role applies to the creator:
  • Choose the primary or most encompassing role (or the one listed first)
  • Explain the details in the information section
Name: Harden, Leland
Role: Editor
Information: Executive Editor; Sponsor

 

Creator Information

  • This field is only for information about the creator listed in or directly related to the object
  • It is not necessary to do research to find information; this field is only used for readily-available notes

 

Guidelines Examples
  • Include information that clarifies the role of the creator
 Co-Editor
  • Include other relevant information known about the creator that relates to the object:
    • Additional forms of the creator's name
    • Addresses
    • Birth and death dates
    • Other information associated with the name

(If an authorized form of the name is used, it is not necessary to repeat the details)

1889-1975

"By his son, the late Wilson Gregg" (d. 1899)
  • Format information appropriately:
  • List each name, fact, or statement individually and separate them with semicolons or periods
  • Use sentence form when relevant or when taken directly from the object
  • Use quotation marks when quoting information directly from the object


Speaker; Associate Justice of the Supreme Court


"Member of the Association of American Directory Publishers"

 

Other Examples

Book
Name: Farrar, R. M.
Type: Person
Role: Author
Yearbook
Name: North Texas Laboratory School
Type: Organization
Role: Author

Name: Mays, Sharon
Type: Person
Role: Editor
Information: Co-Editor

Name: Wyss, Margaret
Type: Person
Role: Editor
Information: Co-Editor
Genealogical newsletter
Name: Texas State Genealogical Society
Type: Organization
Role: Author

Name: Pryor, Frances
Type: Person
Role: Editor
Atlas
Name: United States. Department of the Interior. Geological Survey.
Type: Organization
Role: Author
Information: J. W. Powell, Director

Name: Dutton, Clarence E.
Type: Person
Role: Author
Information: Capt. Clarence E. Dutton U.S.A. - Author of "Tertiary History of the Grand Canon District"
Collection of legal papers
Name: Blades, J. R.
Type: Person
Role: Compiler
Information: Clerk, District Court, Henderson County
Painting 
Name: Benton, Thomas Hart
Type: Person
Role: Artist
Information: 1889-1975
Map
Name: Hill, Robert Thomas, 1858-1941
Type: Person
Role: Cartographer
Information: "By Robert T. Hill"
Opera score
Name: Smith, Julia, 1905-1989
Type: Person
Role: Composer
Information: Music by Julia Smith
Laws of Texas
Name: Texas (Republic). Secretary of State.
Type: Organization
Role: Compiler
City directory
Name: Morrison & Fourmy Directory Co.
Type: Organization
Role: Compiler
Information:  Compilers, Publishers and Proprietors

Comments

  • The creator field is not constrained by the AACR2 practice of limiting creators to three or fewer names. Include as many creators as are readily available.
  • If the creator and the publisher are the same, repeat the name in the Publisher element.
  • Individuals or organizations with lesser responsibility for creation of the intellectual content of the resource should be recorded in the Contributor element instead of the creator element. Some examples of contributors are collector, donor, secondary editor, etc.
  • The creator roles come primarily from MARC relator codes; not all of the Library of Congress roles are included in the UNT system and several have been created which do not come from the relator codes.

 

Resources

This page is maintained by Hannah Tarver — last modified Thursday, November 19, 2009. 10:40 PM
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