[Heb-NACO] rabbinic compilations by a single author

[Aaron Kuperman]

I have some serious questions about the extent this is being applied. The
Law section (where I work) is not treating something as a compilation
unless the book in hand is asserting it is in fact a compilation, and
that we can identify the distinct works that are being compiled. Absent
this, we conclude that even if parts of the work are drawn from previously
published materials, the work is a new work. 

Our frame of reference is based on the fact that much of the work we
receive includes treatises consisting of multiple chapters, some of which
may have been published as journal articles; if the publishers says he is
collecting the author's essay, it's a compilation BUT if the book presents
itself as a treatise even though some chapters are recycled journal
articles we regard it as a new work rather than a compilation.

The Hebrew terms in the list being circulated more often then not are
merely descriptive of a work, and unless one can identify distinct works
within the book in hand, I wouldn't consider it a compilation. For
example, while you could have a compilation of famous "hidushim", most
works that say they are "Hidushim" are using the phrase to indicate that
the work as a whole is a "hidush" as opposed to a commentary on someone
else's work. Unless on can identify distinct works within the item being
cataloged, can it possibly be a compilation?

Some of the terms, such as pesakim or halakhot are rarely used to refer to
separate works, but are merely descriptive of the contents.  In legal
literature we frequently catalog laws, and in analagous situtation we
would not consider these to be compilations.

I only work with Mishpat Ivri, and I'm concerned that the Law section
rules, which I have to follow, conflict with the Israel/Judaica
section/Hebrew NACO interpretations (plus I'm concerned you are making
extra work for yourselves by treating things as compilations when they
aren't). I realize the "Leaves of grass" analogy and that most Hebraica
catalogers also do poetry, but I believe that most rabbinical literature
is more like legal literature, and we shouldn't be gung-ho to create
collective titles for works that were never intended by the creators to be
compilations, and in fact are not compilations of distinct works. As a
rule of thumb, I look for an indication on the title page or table of
contents that the work is intended as a compilation, and also expect to
find material for a contents note listing the individual works being
compiled (even if too burdensome to record) - but absent, I would probably
never create a collective uniform title.


Aaron Wolfe Kuperman 
Library of Congress, 
ABA USPL, Law Cataloging Section

This is NOT an official communication from the Library of Congress.