--Recorded Books Catalog of Library of Congress control whole - What is it and Does Your Book Need It?--
Library of Congress control whole - What is it and Does Your Book Need It?
Library of Congress operate number (Lccn), as the name implies, is assigned by the Us Library of Congress. It is of course a reference number to find the bibliographic data, or catalog record, for a exact work in the Library of Congress (LoC). It is not, as some publishing newcomers tend to believe, a call number for finding a exact edition or format of a single title. Therefore, you only need one Lccn to cover a hardback and paperback for the same title or to cover new editions of the same title.
Library of Congress control whole - What is it and Does Your Book Need It?
The Lccn's purpose is to help the LoC avow its catalog records and to help other librarians gather LoC cataloging data as an aid to creating their own catalog entries for new acquisitions.
The Lccn is included on the book's copyright page, and all recently assigned Lccns should be printed without hyphens (the first four digits for books entered into the LoC catalog since 2000 recite the year the Lccn was assigned).
You can gather an Lccn only from the LoC through one of these two programs:
Cataloging-in-Publication (Cip) program: provides a complete bibliographic report created by the LoC for books not yet published, which is then printed on the book's copyright page (Cip data includes the Lccn). Preassigned operate number (Pcn) program: provides a LoC-assigned Lccn if the publisher requests it and is popular ,favorite for it, but it will not include any bibliographic data.
So, which agenda should you use? You probably won't have much option if you are self-published or run a very small publishing enterprise that primarily publishes your own books.
According to the LoC itself on its Cip agenda page:
"Only U. S. Publishers who issue titles that are most likely to be widely acquired by U.S. Libraries are eligible to participate in the Cip program. Book vendors, distributors, printers, yield houses and other intermediaries are ineligible. Publishers who have published the works of fewer than three different authors are ineligible. Self-publishers (i.e. Authors and editors who pay for or subsidize publication of their own works; who often do not issue the works of more than three different authors; and whose works are rarely widely acquired by the nation's libraries) are ineligible."
According to the LoC's Pcn agenda page:
"Only U.S. Book publishers are eligible to participate in the Pcn program. These publishers must list a U.S. Place of publication on the title page or copyright page of their books and avow an editorial office in the U.S. Capable of answering substantive bibliographic questions."
Getting that Lccn through the Pcn agenda is a two-step process: first apply for a Pcn inventory (might take up to two weeks) and then apply for a Pcn (Lccn) for your book (they say this might take 1-2 weeks but we usually get ours within a day or so).
Once you have an Lccn through the Pcn program, you can always pay somebody to create the Cip data. This data cannot be labeled "Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication" on the book's title page but, instead, must be clearly labeled "Publisher Cataloging-in-Publication" (Pcip).
Is Pcip worth paying for? Although there are differences of idea on either its proximity will lead to more library sales, a Cip block is an inexpensive increasing that may help sell books to libraries and may make your self- or micro-publishing enterprise appear more established, professional, and knowledgeable. Probably the biggest advantage to having Pcip data for your book is that it may get your book cataloged faster and out on the shelves of libraries faster than books for which the librarians have to create the cataloging data.
Whether you select to buy Pcip data or not, be sure to get your Lccn from the Library of Congress and include it on your copyright page.
It is, after all, free.
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