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Cataloguing Documents in Irish

Patricia Ffrench & Monica CrumpLeabharlann Shéamais Uí Argadáin

Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh

An Gaeilge sa Leabharlann November 8th 2007

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“It is doubtless a mark of prudence not to attempt to order or to catalogue books in languages with which one is not thoroughly familiar, and to refuse to answer any enquiries concerning them … But there must be many libraries where such prudence is out of the question: even without the necessary expert knowledge one must accept and deal with the books for the sake of completeness, and risk the errors”.

C.G. Allen., 1999

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• Introduction

• Problems

• Tools/aids

Practical Issues

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Different types of material

• Modern Irish language material• Older Irish language material• Periodicals

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Cataloguing modern Irish material

Some problems that can arise

• Diacritics – a word can have a completely different meaning without the sineadh fada

ait = funny but áit = a place

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Modern Irish Alphabet• Today Irish is usually written with a version of

the Latin alphabet similar to the one used for Scottish Gaelic, though a spelling reform in 1957 eliminated some of the silent letters which are still used in Scottish Gaelic.

• A a á B b C c D d E e é F f G g H h I i í L l M m N n O o ó P p R r S s T t U u ú

• The letters j (jé), k (ká), q (cú), v (vé), w (wae), x (ex), y (yé) and z (zae) do not occur in native Irish words, but do appear in some anglicized words, e.g. jab (job) and veain (van).

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Older Irish material

• Old script used in older material

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Bibliolinguistics

• Names of authors, editors, etc.- The names of authors, editors, compilers etc. are given in various ways, but few of them have any effect on the form of the name- The name may stand by itself, in its basic form, before or after the title

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• The name may be preceded or followed by a finite verb in the past tense indicating the relationship of the person to the book, e.g.: – Pádraig Ó Móráin do chum (it was) P. O’M. who created (them)– an t-athair Raghnall Mac Siubhlaigh a d’aistrigh ón téacs Laidine

(Translated from the Latin text by the Rev. Reginald Walker.)

• The name may be preceded by an abstract or semi- abstract noun in which case it will be in the genitive, e.g. – ó láimh Thomais Bairéad (from the hand of Thomas Barrett) – arna gcur in eagar fá stiúradh Ghearóid Í Mhurchadha

(put in order under the direction of Gearód Ó Murchadha (Gerald Murphy))

– The name may be preceded by the proposition le (by). This has no effect on the name.

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Key terminologies– Volumes and parts: Cuid is usually used– Editions: The fundamental words are cló

(printing), eagrán (edition) foilsiú (to publish).– Hence an chéad chló (first impression);

eagrán nua (new edition); foilsíodh (older foilsigheadh) don chéad uair (published for the first time).

– Revisions – atheagrú (re-edition), nua-chóiriú (new arrangement), nua-reitithe (re-arranged).

C.G. Allen, 1999.

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Imprints

• Brún agus Ó Nualláin (Brown and Nolan)• Cló Ollscoil Chorcaí (Cork University Press)• Comhlucht Oideachais na hÉireann• Arna fhoilsiú le haghaidh na mBraithre Críostaí

ag M.H. Mac an Ghoill agus a Mhac (published for the Christian Brothers by M.H. Gill and son)

• arna gcur ar fáil ag – made available by

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Series

• Series are not very common in Irish publishing

– e.g. Leabhair thaighde ; 88ú hImleabhar

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Placenames

• Anglicization of Irish names by the British – these cannot be changed without a Local Government Act

• English-language based for cataloguing purposes

• 151 – place name (English version)• 451 – see ref. (Irish version)

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Periodicals• Titles are usually straightforward• Imprint may have e.g. arna fhoilsiú ag Conradh na

Gaeilge• The name of the editor(s) is usually given under

eagarthóir(i), sometimes a committee (coiste). Also éarlamh (patron), rúnaí (secretary) and cisteoir are mentioned

• Numbering – imleabhar (volume) and uimhir (number) or one of these

• Frequency – usually stated as foilseofar dhá uair sa bhliain (will be published twice a year); foilsítear sa Mhárta (published in March).

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IJFRS• The Irish Joint Fiction Reserve Scheme was

established in 1965 and is administered by An Chomhairle Leabharlanna on behalf of Colico

• There are 76,000 items in the collection. The reserve is held in library-depositories throughout the country with each participating library undertaking to store books by an author whose surname begins with an allocated letter

• NUIG is the Irish language depository

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Tools/Aids

• AACR2• MARC formats and code lists• Local descriptive cataloguing practices

documentation• Library of Congress Authority File• DDC22 and Web Dewey

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Bibliography• Allen. C. G. A manual of European languages for

Librarians. 2nd ed. London : Bowker-Saur, 1999.

• Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, 2nd ed. 2002 revision and updates. Chicago : American Library Assocaition, 2002-

• http://authorities.loc.gov/

• http://www.itsmarc.com/crs/crs0000.htm - cataloguer’s reference shelf

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Liostaí Logainmneacha• http://www.pobail.ie/enIrishLanguage/The

PlacenamesBranch/ - Liostaí Logainmneacha• Liostaí logainmneacha: Lú/Louth• Liostaí logainmneacha: Luimneach/Limerick• Liostaí logainmneacha: Port Láirge/Waterford• Liostaí logainmneacha: Cill Chainnigh/Kilkenny• Liostaí logainmneacha: Uíbh Fhailí/Offaly• Liostaí logainmneacha: Muineachán/Monaghan• Liostaí logainmneacha: Tiobraid

Árann/Tipperary

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• Sráidainmneacha na hÉireann, eagarthóir Breandán S. Mac Aodha, Baile Átha Cliath, An Gúm, c1998.

• http://www.acmhainn.ie/tearmai/Leabhar.h tm

• http://www.focal.ie/Home.aspx• Historical dictionary of Gaelic

placenames/Focloir stairiuil aitainmneacha na Gaeilge. London : Irish Texts Society, 2003-

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The NUI Galway Context

• Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla 2003

• Acht an Choláiste Ollscoile, Gaillimh (Leasú) 2006

• An Scéim Teanga, Ollscoil na hÉireann Gaillimh

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Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla 2003“For the purpose of promoting the use of the Irish language

for official purposes in the State, the Minister may … require the public body to prepare and present … a draft scheme specifying –

(a) the services which the public body proposes to provide -(i) exclusively through the medium of the Irish language,(ii) exclusively through the medium of the English language, and(iii) through the medium of both the Irish and English languages and

(b) the measures the body proposes to adopt to ensure that any services that are not provided by the body through the medium of the Irish language will be so provided.”

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Acht na Choláiste Ollscoile, Gaillimh (Leasú) 2006

• Amendment to the University College Galway Act 1929:

“The governing authority of the College shall ensure that one of the principal aims for the operation and development of the College set out in each strategic development plan prepared after the commencement of this section is the provision of education at the College through the medium of the Irish language.”

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What does this mean?• While the Official Languages Act obliges all

public bodies to provide services through Irish – the demand is unlikely to be significant.

• In NUI, Galway, on the other hand we have a large and active Irish-speaking community, who are studying a range of subjects through the medium of Irish and have a double statutory right to expect to receive supporting services through Irish also.

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Scéim na hOllscoile• NUI, Galway has prepared a first Scéim Teanga

under the 2003 Act, and in consideration of the 2006 Act, outlining 13 services that will be available through Irish by October 2008, including the Library.

• The Library has committed to providing services through Irish by Oct 2008 at:– Circulation Desk– Information Desk– Librarian’s Office

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Impact for Cataloguing?• Because of the dual obligation on NUI, Galway

the first Scéim is seen as only the first step.• After October 2008 further services will be

targeted for provision through Irish.• Online services (including the catalogue) could

be seen as a relatively easy service to provide with the help of the Translation Office.

• Translation of the OPAC Interface a first step. While posing potential technical difficulties, this is a finite challenge linguistically.

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Is an Irish OPAC enough?• Are we truly offering our services through

Irish by translating the OPAC buttons and providing an Irish interface?

• Currently all subject terms are in English, even if the original book was in Irish.

• Should we be providing subject searching through Irish?

• Should we be developing Subject Headings as Gaeilge?

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Teideal Ábhair as Gaeilge• Check of the catalogues of the seven Irish

Universities and the National Library show no Irish subject terms in use.

• Irish books are being catalogued exclusively through English.

• The only Irish language subject access is through title words.

• Is this sufficient given the spirit of Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla and Acht na Choláiste Ollscoile, Gaillimh?

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Répertoire de vedettes-matière• 200,000 French subject-headings and

their English equivalents.• Developed by the Université Laval Library

in Canada for their own use in-house.• Now used by other libraries including the

Bibliothèque Nationale de France. • Helping to standardise subject-headings

used in the French-speaking world.

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Is an Irish equivalent achievable?• Beyond the current resources of any of our

Libraries to aim for 200,000 subject headings as Gaeilge!

• However, could we start with those covering the majority of publications in the Irish language?

• Could we work together sharing our subject terms so as to ensure standardisation and make this more achievable?

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Teideal Ábhair Gaeilge• Literature

• History

• Linguistics

• Language Acquisition

• Government Publications

• Litríocht

• Stair

• Teangeolaíocht

• Sealbhú Teanga

• Foilseacháin Oifigiúla

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Tús maith leath na hoibre!

Go raibh maith agaibh!

Monica.crump@nuigalway.ie

Patricia.ffrench@nuigalway.ie