Cuttering for Western Americana Manuscripts
Assign Cutter numbers to manuscripts classed as WA MSS S- and shelved in the Wall Street stacks vertical files.
A cutter number is a call number extension used for interfiling by main entry, assigned based on either the last name of a personal name, the first word of a corporate name, or the first word of a title. A cutter number consists of the first letter of the main entry followed by a number, with these exceptions:
- For words beginning with vowels or “S,” the first two letters of the word are used.
- For words beginning with “Sc” the first three letters of the word are used.
Title main entries beginning with the same word, such as “Letter to..” or “Letters to…” should have the same cutter.
Examples
Meriwether Clark C548
Spiro T. Agnew Ag63
Winfield Scott Sco86
Letter to… L569
To assign a cutter number:
- Search the OPAC to determine if the name has already been cuttered for BRBL Western Americana manuscripts
Advanced search:
Keyword = [name] as a phrase within Author
Limit location: Western American, Yale Collection of (Brbl)
Limit type: Archives or Manuscripts
- If an existing cutter number is not found, assign a cutter number by using the OCLC Dewey Cutter Program. Download instructions are available on OCLC’s website. Select the “Cutter Four-Figure Table” button
- Determine if this cutter number is unique for Brbl Western Americana manuscripts by searching it in the OPAC:
Advanced search:
[cutter] as a phrase within Holdings Keyword
Limit location: Western American, Yale Collection of (Brbl)
Limit type: Archives or Manuscripts
- If the cutter number has already been assigned, add a digit and repeat the search above
Examples
C548 has already been assigned: search C5481
C 548 and C5481 have already been assigned: search C5482
Folder labeling
Left label Cutter number
Right label Call number (incl. Cutter number)
Name. Title / Date
MFHD
Enter the Cutter number in ‡i as the last element in the unique number, with no punctuation.
Example
852 __ ‡a beinwa ‡h WA MSS ‡i S-1592 C548
Examples