Summary of Final Punctuation in Bib Record Fields:
Book Cataloguing

This document currently covers fields typically used in cataloguing books (print monographs).  It does not include all fields used in cataloguing other types of materials, such as serials, electronic materials, or maps.

This guide is intended for use in original cataloguing.  Copy cataloguers may find it of interest for information but should not take the time to edit final punctuation in existing copy.

The list here has been compiled as a brief summary guide to an area that in AACR2/LCRI has become very complex.  For further details and examples, please see LCRI 1.0C.

Always a final period

Each of the following fields should always end with a period:

• 245

  E.g.    245 10  ... / ‡c by Hermione Gundelswich ... [et al.].

• 250

  E.g.    250      3. ed. (1. ed. en Colección interminable).

Some type of final punctuation, but only sometimes a period

A final punctuation mark is needed, but if a hyphen, closing parenthesis, or closing bracket is present, no period is needed.  (Please note that a closing quotation mark should be placed after a period, so the quotation mark counts as final punctuation.)

A partial exception:  5xx:  A period generally does follow a parenthesis or closing bracket at the end of a note; see 5xx below for examples.

Another exception:  Any ‡5 subfield should follow a period.

• 1xx

  E.g.    100 1    Gundelswich, Hermione.

  E.g.    100 1    González González, Alejandro, ‡d 1927-

  E.g.    110 2    Bibliothèque nationale (France)

  E.g.    130 0    Beowulf. ‡l Danish.

• 260

  E.g.    260      ..., ‡c c1999.

  E.g.    260      ..., ‡c 1998-

  E.g.    260      ..., ‡c [2000?]

• 300

  E.g.    300      ... ‡c 24 cm.

  E.g.    300      ... ‡c 28 cm. + ‡e 1 atlas (12 p. : 4 col. maps ; 18 cm.)

• 5xx

  5xx notes generally end with periods, as in a regular sentence.  A period follows a parenthesis or closing bracket at the end of the note.

  E.g.    504      Includes bibliographical references (p. 234-246).

  E.g.    500      "Compiled by the Committee on Collectible Cork Crafts."--P. [4].

  Exceptions (some already noted above):

  1. Other types of punctuation marks that end sentences -- an exclamation mark (!) or question mark (?) -- may be used instead of a period.

     E.g.    500      No more published?

  2. A note may end with a hyphen instead of a period.

     E.g.    500      Vol. 3- consist of reports on excavations conducted 2004-

  3. A final quotation mark should be placed after a period.

     E.g.    500      “Based on a true story.”

  4. Any ‡5 subfield should follow a period.

     E.g.    500      Library’s copy defective; all leaves after p. 316 lacking. ‡5 LNT

  5. Incomplete 505 fields do not end with periods.

     E.g.    505 1    v. 1. Francesco Petrarca -- v. 2. Giovanni Boccaccio

  6. Rare-book 510 citations do not end with periods.

     E.g.    510 4    Brunet, ‡c II, p. 221

• 6xx

  E.g.    651    0  Guatemala ‡x History ‡y 1945-1985.

  E.g.    651    0  Guatemala ‡x History ‡y 1985-

  E.g.    650    0  Natural disasters ‡z Mexico ‡z Teziutlán (Puebla)

• 700-740

  E.g.    700 1    Gundelswich, Hermione.

  E.g.    700 1    González González, Alejandro, ‡d 1927-

  E.g.    710 2    Bibliothèque nationale (France)

  E.g.    710 2    Project “Mapping Orkney.”

  E.g.    730 02  Journey of an intrepid traveller.

  E.g.    740 02  Two towers.

  E.g.    740 02  Around the world (again)

  E.g.    740 02  New Orleans connections. ‡5 LNT

                                [a locally inserted section]

• 800-830

  E.g.    800 1    Rotondo, ‡cil Magnifico. ‡t Works ; ‡v v. 4.

  E.g.    830    0  Historia (Wiesbaden, Germany). ‡p Einzelschriften ; ‡v Heft 99.

  E.g.    830    0  Colección bibliográfica (Bogotá, Colombia)

Never a final period

A period should never appear at the end of any of the following fields:

• 240

  E.g.    240 10  Hamlet. ‡l Italian

  E.g.    240 10  Plays. ‡k Selections

• 246

  E.g.    246 30  Testimonios de mujeres de desaparecidos

  E.g.    246 18  Archaeology & entomology in the Mediterranean

• 490

  E.g.    490 1    Colección básica de escritores ecuatorianos ; ‡v 43

  E.g.    490 0    Biblioteca breve

List by field

• Always = Always ends with period
• Sometimes = Always ends with punctuation or ‡5, but only sometimes a period
• Never = Never ends with period

1xx		Sometimes
240		Never
245		Always
246		Never
250		Always
260		Sometimes
300		Sometimes
490		Never
5xx		Sometimes (usually)
6xx		Sometimes
7xx		Sometimes
8xx		Sometimes

HTML document last reviewed:  10 August 2009