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Metadata Input Guidelines: Publisher

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Element Name

Publisher

Definition

An entity responsible for making the resource available: the publisher of the original work.

Where Can the Publisher Information be Found?

  • A publisher can be a publishing house, an organization, a service, a corporate body, a government agency, a museum, a historical society, a university, a project, a repository, a person, etc. and may be found on:
    • a copyright page
    • an inside cover of a book
    • a colophon
    • a logo stamped on a photograph, map, or cover of a book
    • accompanying or supplementary information

How Publisher Works in the Metadata Form

Parts:

  1. Publisher name – text field
  2. Publisher location – text field
  3. Publisher information – text field

Repeatable?

Yes - to include multiple publishers, click ‘Add’ to repeat all field parts

Required?

No (more information)

How Should the Publisher be Filled in?

General Publisher Rules

  • If no publishing statement is present on the resource or its documentation, leave the publisher element blank
  • When relevant, multiple publishers may be included but it may be appropriate for secondary publisher to be listed as a contributor instead (for example, a ‘printer’)

Publisher Names

Guideline Example(s)
  • Do not invert names of individuals (for self-publishing)
  • Do not invert personal names that are parts of organizational names
  • Use the names as they appear in the item for non-government or single-level bodies
  • Put [square brackets] around publisher names that do not come from the resource itself
  • Write out names instead of using acronyms
  • Roberta Wright Rylander
  • A. C. Baldwin & Sons
  • Lewis Publishing Company
  • [Houston] Chamber of Commerce
  • University of North Texas
  • 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
  • Fort Wolters (Tex.). United States Army Primary Helicopter School.
  • American Chemical Society. Division of Chemical Information.
  • [United States.] Army Information Branch.
  • General Dynamics Corporation. Convair Division.
  • Texas. Legislature. Senate. Committee on Transportation.
  • For United States agencies:
    • Use the same hierarchical formatting that other organization names use
    • For consistency, you may wish to use the form found in the Library of Congress Authorities
    • 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 from the Library of Congress Authorities (not: United States. National Security Council. Central Intelligence Agency.)
  • United States. Government Printing Office.
  • United States. Department of Commerce. Office of Technical Services.
  • United States. Central Intelligence Agency.
  • For foreign agencies:
    • Use an authorized form of the name, if there is one
      • If the name is written in a language other than English, add the English translation (if known) in the information section of the field
      • If the name is written in English, additional forms of the name can be included in the information section of the field as needed
    • If there is no authorized form of the name, use the name as it appears and follow general formatting rules
  • China (Republic : 1949- ). Huan jing bao hu shu.
  • Japan. Kankyōshō.

Publisher Location

Guideline Example
  • Enter the place of publication shown on the resource
  • Write out the city and state names

Sewanee, Tennessee

Austin, Texas
  • If multiple places are associated with the publisher, use the first place listed
London, England
  • If no place of publication is listed, leave the 'place' blank
  • A less specific location (e.g., country or state only) may be used if it can be reasonably inferred


United States
  • Put the place of publication in [square brackets] if it does not come from the resource itself
 [Washington D.C.]

Publisher Information

  • This field is only for information about the publisher 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
Guideline Example
If relevant, include other information (regarding the object) known about the publisher such as:
  • Alternate forms of the name or dates of existence associated with the name
  • Other/multiple locations listed for the company
  • The statement from the resource that names the publisher

"Raphael Tuck & Sons Co., Ltd."

"A Multipro Reprint"

"Printed by The Bandera Bulletin for Frontier Times Museum"

Other Examples

Children’s book: More Fun For Everyone

  • Publisher: Raphael Tuck & Sons
  • Location: London, England
  • Information: “London, Paris & New York. Designed at the Studios in England and printed at the Fine Art Works in Bavaria.”

Photo-journal: A Camera Trip Through Camp Wolters: a picture book of the camp and its activities

  • Publisher: The Ullman Company
  • Location: Brooklyn, New York
  • Information: “This book planned and printed in Gravure by the Ullman Company, Brooklyn, N. Y.”

Lion’s Roar, Yearbook of the North Texas Laboratory School, 1958

  • Publisher: North Texas Laboratory School

  • Location: Denton, Texas

  • Publisher: Taylor Publishing Co.
  • Location: Dallas, Texas
  • Information: “Lithographed by Taylor Publishing Co.”

U.S. Geological Survey Map: Locations and Depths of the Artesian Wells of the Black and Grand Prairies of Texas

  • Publisher: A. Hoen & Co.
  • Location: Baltimore, Maryland
  • Information: “Lith. by A Hoen & Co.”

French opera score: Nouvelles Poesies Morales sur Les Plus Beaux Airs de la Musique Francoise et Italienne avec la Basse.[…]

  • Publisher: N. Lottin & J. H. Butard
  • Location: Paris, France
  • Information: “Chez Ph. N. Lottin, & J. H. Butard, Imprimeur - Libraries, rue Saint Jacques, proche de S. Yves, à la Verité”

World War II Poster: This man is your friend: Dutch sailor: he fights for freedom

  • Publisher: United States. Government Printing Office.
  • Location: Washington D.C.

Inventory of county records, Young County courthouse, Graham, Texas

  • Publisher: North Texas State University. Center for Community Services.

  • Location: Denton, Texas

  • Publisher: Texas State Library. Archives Division.
  • Location: Austin, Texas
  • Information: Printer [and distributor]

Pamphlet: An Appeal to the People of Massachusetts, on The Texas Question.

  • Publisher: Charles C. Little and James Brown (Firm)
  • Location: Boston, Massachusetts

Comments

  • Name fields are connected to the UNT Name App, which will try to match text against local authority files. Editors should always choose an authorized form from the list if it is available.

  • If the publisher and the creator are the same, repeat the name in the Creator element.
  • In the case of outsourcing, the name of the contract agency performing digital services for a publisher could be recorded in the Note element.
  • Publishing information about a resource from which the current resource is derived should be placed in the Source element.

  • For place(s) associated with the intellectual content of the resource, use the Coverage Place Name sub-element.

  • Note: As of January 2014, formatting for organization names (including U.S. agencies) matches that of creators and contributors. “United States” will no longer be abbreviated “U.S.” (except as part of an authorized name) and hierarchical names with multiple levels will end with a period.

Resources

More Guidelines: