[Heb-NACO] Yosef Shalom Elyashiv

[Biella, Joan]

Below is a message from Barry Walfish  that appeared on this list on Wednesday, May 9, 2012.  I'll address each of his points.

1)  I'm sure all of us have had the feeling, when using the heading "Elyashuv, Yosef Shalom," that the heading was ridiculous and we ought to do something about it.  The status of the database on Wednesday shows that I'm not the only one who has then said to him or herself, "Oh but that would be so much trouble,"  and gone on to the next thing.

However, at Barry's prompting I have now changed the LC heading to "Eliyashiv, Yosef Shalom, 1910-," and have corrected the nearly 40 bibliographic records in LC's database.  The rest of you are at liberty to do the same.

2)  Regarding "Zidkiyahu figlio di Abraham, etc.,"  I myself established this person many years ago, and I remember the squirming and struggling I went through trying to find a way to interpret the rules and RIs we live by to make another form of the heading possible.  I couldn't.

It was not LC's idea to put "a romanized form of the name found prominently on work(s) by the person" at the head of the options for choice of name for authors writing in the "Hebraic alphabet."  The part of LCRI 22.3C relating to Hebrew and Yiddish names was written word for word by the Association of Jewish Libraries, after consultation among its members, and LC adopted it on AJL's recommendation.

No doubt those in AJL who advocated making such forms the first choice for headings were not primarily thinking of rabbinical authors, but of the thousands of modern authors who write belles-lettres, history, sociology and so forth and give their names in romanized form on the versos of their title pages.  It seems to me that a library like LC, which has to deal with this material as well as with rabbinic material, and is tasked with sponsoring rules that libraries with every gradation of reference resources can make use of, made a good choice in stating the rule the way it stands now.  I personally would not support requiring additional research and required reference sources for the establishment of rabbinical names of whatever period.  Remember how I kicked and screamed recently against adding a requirement to consult yet another reference source (The Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World) recently--and was overruled.

Yes, I agree that "Zidkiyahu figlio di Abraham" is unfortunate, but AJL got what it asked for.  I personally would advise no further complication of the already-complicated rules for establishing names in the Hebrew alphabet.  If you're at a special library with resources to do more than the rules require, go ahead.  Just don't submit those headings to the LC/NACO Authority File.

Just my two cents' (or more) worth.  I will not say that these are not the opinions of my employer, because I was given the authority to speak for LC's Policy & Standards Division long ago in Hebrew-heading-related matters.  If AJL would like to pursue adding further complications to RDA 9.2.2.5.3, they may certainly do so, and I will present AJL's proposals to LC if you call on me to do so.

Joan

+++++++++++++++
Barry wrote:

Dear Safranim,

I was astonished to learn recently that LC has established the name of the venerable sage and erstwhile leaderof Haredi Jewry as Elyashuv, apparently based on the Romanized form foundin a single book published in 1992.  This is patently absurd.  I assure you this is the only place that his name is spelled that way.  An internet search confirms that he is and always will be Elyashiv.

Can someone at LC please fix this?  Thanks.  The Haredi world will be grateful.

This sheds a spotlight on the questionable practice LC has adopted of establishing names of religious persons on the basis of the romanized forms in publications that were not published by them.  This is especially questionable for medieval rabbis.  It makes no sense to use a romanized form that appears in an Italian or Spanish or German publications for a medieval rabbi.  One case I recently encountered is

Zidkiyahu figlio di Abraham, ha-Rofe, 13th cent.  In the EJ he is:  Anav, Zedekiah ben Abraham; 13th cent.

This policy should be reconsidered and reference sources provided in such cases.


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