Title Main Entries

Main entries may also be the title of a work, if there are too many people responsible for the creation of the information contained in that work. The cataloging rules allow for up to 3 authors to be listed together as the creators of a work of information. If more than 3 people are involved in writing or producing something, then the item is listed as a title main entry. Works that are compilations of existing stories or poems or essays, gathered together by one person but written by many different people, are also listed as title main entries. Here is an example of a title main entry card catalog record:

398.2           Beauties, beasts and enchantment : classic French fairy tales /
Beauties          translated and with an introduction by Jack Zipes. – New York:
                         New American Library, c1989.
                         598 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.

                         A collection of French fairy tales originally written in the 17^th                     and 18^th centuries.
                         ISBN 0-4530-0693-0

                         1. Fairy tales—France. 2. French fiction—17^th century. 3.
                      French fiction—18^th century. 4. Fairy tales. 5. Folklore—France.
                      I. Zipes, Jack.

The main entry is: Beauties, beasts and enchantment : classic French fairy tales.

Whether an entry is an author or a title main entry, the TITLE is listed at the beginning of the first paragraph of information on the card. If the item is a book, the title is taken from the title page. It is taken from the actual item in the case of a video, cassette, compact disc or other non-book item. The title must be written just as listed on the item itself, including any additional title information as a subtitle (separated by a colon) after the main title.