CONTENTS

Introduction

Preliminary notes

• Scope, purpose and use
  
• Definitions
  
• The ISBD(G)
  
• Punctuation
  
• Sources of information
  
• Language and script of the description
  
• Abridgements and Abbreviations
  
• Capitalization
  
• Examples
  
• Misprints
  
• Symbols, etc.
  

Specification of elements

1. Title and statement of responsibility area
   
2. Edition area
   
3. Material (or type of publication) specific area
   
4. Publication, distribution, etc., area
   
5. Physical description area
   
6. Series area
   
7. Note area
   
8. Standard number (or alternative) and terms of availability area

Appendices

1. Multi-level description
   
2. Bi-directional records

Introduction

     In August 1975 the Joint Steering Committee for Revision of the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules proposed to the IFLA Committee on Cataloguing that a general international standard bibliographic description suitable for all types of library materials should be developed. The ISBD(G), published in 1977, was the result. The ISBD(M) was then revised to bring it into line with the ISBD(G), and the "first standard edition revised" of the ISBD(M) was published in 1978.

     In August 1977, at meetings held during the IFLA World Congress, Brussels, the Standing Committee of the IFLA Section on Cataloguing made important new decisions in relation to IFLA's programme of ISBDs. It was agreed that all ISBD texts would be fixed to a life of five years, after which revision would be considered for all the texts, or for particular texts. Consequent on this decision, an ISBD Review Committee was formed by IFLA and met in London 10-11 August 1981. Plans were made to review and revise as necessary the four ISBDs: ISBD(CM), ISBD(NBM), ISBD(S) (all first published in 1977), and ISBD(M) (latest edition published in 1978).

     Practical experience with the texts provided many valuable ideas for their further improvement, and the following major actions were identified as necessary:

1. clarify wording and achieve consistency of definitions and stipulations;
   
2. make the ISBDs hospitable to non-roman scripts;
   
3. review the use of the equals sign;
   
4. include more and better examples;
   
5. consider the comments especially from IASA and IAML on (NBM).

Revision of these four texts has now been accomplished.
     Subsequently, a smaller Review Committee was appointed to oversee remaining projects, including preparation of a new ISBD for Computer Files (CF) and revision of ISBD(PM), ISBD(A), ISBD(G). The work in hand is, therefore, part of the concluding phase of the ISBD review and serves to harmonize the principles of the General International Standard Bibliographic Description: Annotated Text with the provisions of specialized ISBDs in their current versions. As was the case with the 1977 edition of ISBD(G), this revision is not intended to produce rules for general use of cataloguers, but to identify the framework and essential features of the specialized ISBDs wherein are given more detailed stipulations and instructions and to provide a point of reference for compilers of cataloguing codes.

     The ISBD(G) includes two appendices. The first appendix offers a generally standardized prescription for the special technique of multi-level description. The second appendix carries out the thrust mentioned above to satisfy users working with publications in non-Roman scripts: it demonstrates and exemplifies the ways in which data should be transcribed when partly in a script reading from right to left and partly in a script reading from left to right.

     This new edition of the ISBD(G) has been approved by the IFLA Section on Cataloguing.

Washington, D. C.	John D. Byrum, Jr., Chairman
March 1991	ISBD Review Committee