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Non-Subject Parameters

Review our list of non-subject parameters. Learn more about each category by clicking on that category.

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0.1: Level of Audience
0.3: Readership Level
0.4: Approval Status
0.5: Type of Book
0.6: Type of Edition
0.7: Language of Book
0.8: Language of Original
0.9: Type of Publisher
10: Printing History
11: Format of Publication
12: Time Characteristics
14: Treatment of Subject
16: Country of Origin
17: Country of Source
18: Geographic Characteristics of the Subject

Series

0.1: Level of Audience:
01:03
Lower Undergraduate Textbook. A highly-structured, course related textbook designed to be used by the student at the freshman or sophomore level. Often includes chapter guidelines, review questions, exercises, and key words.
01:04
Upper Undergraduate Textbook. A highly-structured, course related textbook designed to be used by the student at the junior or senior level.
01:05
Graduate Textbook. A highly-structured, course related textbook designed to be used by the student at the graduate level, often in fields such as medicine and law.
01:06
Professional/Practitioner. Books intended for use or reference by the professional or practitioner in the specified field. (In Medicine, these would be books for practicing physicians; in Religion, for clergy.)
01:08
University-Research Collection. Appropriate to a graduate/research level collection.
01:09
Undergraduate Collection. Appropriate to an undergraduate level collection.
01:10
Highly specialised Collection. Used when a book is so narrow in scope that it would be of interest only to academic libraries collecting in comprehensive detail. A book on the fruit bat collections of the museums of Scandinavia is one example.
01:11
Popular Collection. Not for academic readers; an informal work intended for a public library or reading room.

03: Readership Level:
03:01
Specialist Reader. Works where the writing style requires reader concentration, and assumes familiarity with the subject matter and conventions of the field. This designation is used with textbooks and professional works, as well as with monographs addressing specialised interests. Most approval books are given this designation.
03:02
Non-Specialist Reader. Used for books that address a technical subject for professional readers desiring knowledge outside their own field (e.g., Hydrology for Architects). Books of this type are uncommon.
03:03
General Reader. No special background is needed to understand the material presented. Approximately 25% of approval books receive this designation.
03:05
Reference. Books arranged to be consulted for facts or information, not read through as a continuous narrative. (Bibliographies, atlases, dictionaries, etc., are reference books.)

04: Approval Status:
04:01
Treated on Approval.
04:07
Forms - Non-returnable (Firm Order Only). The book will not be sent out on approval, but an announcement form will be supplied. If the library chooses to order the book, it is not returnable. This designation is most often used when the publisher severely limits or does not accept returns.
04:08
Forms - Returnable. Similar to 04:07, but those libraries desiring to inspect the actual books have full return privileges. This designation is applied in unusual circumstances, on titles of marginal quality, or of marginal interest to most academic libraries.

05: Type of Book:

Describes the arrangement or nature of the text or work.
05:01
General. A narrative text, or any other type of book that cannot be described by one of the following book types. The majority of approval books are given this designation.
05:02
Encyclopedia. An encyclopedic reference, either general or related to a specific field.
05:03
Selected/Collected Works. Previously published works by a single author, either all works or selections in one genre (e.g., Shakespeare’s collected sonnets). Works which have NOT been published before will be coded General - 05:01.
05:05
Symposium. The papers, proceedings, or transactions from a meeting, colloquium, symposium, course, etc.
05:07
Collected Articles, Not Previously Published. A collection of articles written by several authors specifically for this volume; not necessarily limited to one subject or intended as a definitive volume on a subject. Articles may be in more than one language.
05:08 Collected Articles, Previously Published. A collection of articles by various authors, which have previously appeared in print elsewhere.
05:09
Anthology. A collection of literary works by various authors, that may or may not have been previously published elsewhere. Occasionally used for collections of non-literary, but classic articles.
05:10
Miscellaneous Reference Works. Reference works not described by another designation in this category. Includes: abstracts & extracts; catalogs (but not art exhibition catalogs, for which see 05:42); indexing systems; indexes; thesauruses; grammars, and discographies. For geographical dictionaries (gazetteers), please use Dictionaries, 05:14.
05:12
Bibliography. A listing of written works on a specific subject, in a specific collection, by a specific author, etc.
05:14
Dictionary. A dictionary in one language, or several languages, either general or devoted to a particular subject; includes biographical and geographical dictionaries (gazetteers).
05:17
Concordance/Commentary. An alphabetical arrangement of the principal or key words contained in a book, with citations of the passages in which they occur; or a book presenting a formalized, formatted (e.g., line-by-line) commentary upon another work. A less formalized book, consisting of an original work plus several critical commentaries, would be coded 06:01 - Critical edition.
05:20
Directory. A listing of organizations, institutions, corporations, persons (if not biographical), etc.
05:21
Handbook. A guide or manual providing specific information on a subject, designed for reference, but not falling handily under another designation, such as encyclopedia, dictionary, atlas, etc.
The individual chapters or sections of a handbook can stand independently and can be used in any order, usually without reference to other sections. The language is concise and practical. Cookbooks and travel guides are also profiled as handbooks.
05:22
Data Book/Tables. Numerical and statistical listings.
05:23
Atlas. A bound collection of maps or a bound volume of charts, plates, tables, etc., illustrating any subject, such as a medical atlas of a specific disease.
05:24
Exam Preparation. A book intended for individual use in reviewing or preparing for a standard exam (e.g., the LSAT, GRE, etc.), often in question/answer format.
05:26
Pocket Reference. An undersized book geared toward personal reference use.
05:29
Dissertation. The original text of a thesis presented to satisfy requirements for a postgraduate degree.
05:32
Journal Monograph. Either a monographic supplement to a journal, or an issue of a journal, published as a separate monograph.
05:34
Musical Score. A work consisting mostly of musical notations, rather than text or libretti.
05:36
Readings and Cases. A book designed to bring together important selections in a given subject, for use in the classroom, but not as the primary text; also, a book that records for study and reference real cases in a subject field -- often used for legal casebooks, but applicable to similarly arranged books of cases in other fields, such as medicine, business, and social work.
05:38
Hardware/Software Specific. A book specifically about a particular type of Software, a particular brand of computer hardware, or both (e.g., Getting the Most out of This-Program ).
05:39
Documentary Collection. A book of original documents: legal, technical, historical, etc.
05:41
Facsimile. An autograph or reproduction, usually photographic, of a holographic or typewritten document.
05:42
Art Exhibition Catalog. The catalog of a particular art exhibition.

06: Type of Edition:

Describes certain scholarly or physical characteristics.
06:01
Critical Edition. Presents a literary, philosophical, or classical text, with substantial annotations and/or commentary. Also used with variorum editions and some "collected works."
06:06
Heavily Illustrated Edition. Describes a book that is at least half pictures, or that exists primarily because of the pictures. For photo essays, see NSP 06:13.
06:09
Original and Translation. Used where a text is presented both in its original language and in translation, usually in parallel text.
06:10
Translation. Used when the whole book originally existed as such in another language, or for translations of a collection of materials brought together from various sources.
06:11
General Edition. A book that does not fit any other NSP 06 designation. Approximately 90% of approval books are assigned this designation.
06:13
Photographic Collection. A collection of photographs with minimal text, usually published for artistic purposes.

07: Language of Book:

Up to three languages will be cited. A book in four or more languages is designated "Polyglot." Blackwell’s offers the following designations:
07:01 English
07:02 German
07:10 Latin
07:11 Spanish
07:13 French
07:14 Italian
07:17 Modern Greek
07:18 Other Greek
07:23 Russian
07:30 Hebrew
07:38 Chinese
07:39 Japanese
07:42 Polyglot
07:44 Other
Blackwell’s Book Services - UK also offers additional language designations.

08: Language of Original:

This NSP describes translations, NSP 06:10. The conventions and designations are identical to those in NSP 07.

09: Type of Publisher:
09:01
University Press. The official publishing arm of a university. A press sponsored by a university, or the umbrella imprint of a university. Does not include departmental presses or other campus-based presses. Between 20% and 25% of approval titles are published by university presses.
09:02
Trade Publisher. A commercial press including most houses publishing for profit. The majority of books are published or distributed by a trade publisher.
09:03
Societal Publisher. The publishing arm of a society or an association.
09:04
University/University Department. A department or office of a university. Also applies to irregular publications of a university that does not maintain a formal publishing arm.
09:05
Small Press.This designation includes several categories, such as: presses run by one or two people, presses bringing out fewer than 5 titles a year, presses specializing in unknown literary works, presses publishing local histories, avant-garde collectives, etc. Literary presses are found both in this category and in NSP 09:02, Trade.
09:06
Governmental Publisher. Official publishing arm of a government, such as GPO or HMSO. Such titles are treated on approval only if a trade edition is available.
09:07
Art Museum. Applied to private and public fine art museums and galleries. For other types of museums (historical, technological, etc.), see NSP 09:09, Corporate body.
09:08
Personal Author. Self-publisher. Only a few such titles are covered on approval each year, and then only in exceptional circumstances, such as when they have received critical acclaim.
09:09
Corporate Body. Any incorporated body other than a society, association, university, or government. Includes companies, international bodies, quasi-governmental organizations, etc.
09:13
Importer/Distributor. A supplier whose business is to warehouse and distribute the publications of other publishing bodies, rather than publish and sell its own.

10: Printing History:
10:01
New. Any book that has not previously been published in this edition. Manuscript facsimiles are considered new books.
10:02
Reprint. A book that has been previously published and is not in any appreciable way revised in this edition. A newly illustrated edition of an otherwise unchanged book is considered a reprint. A new impression or print run is not considered a reprint edition.
10:03
Subsequent Edition. A new, revised, second, etc., edition of a monograph.

11: Format of Publication:

Describes the physical format and binding of the book.
11:01
Paper Bound. A paper bound book with 50 or more pages. A paper bound book with fewer than 50 pages, or any book that is stapled together, is designated a Pamphlet, NSP 11:04.
11:02
Hard Bound. A book cased in stiff boards, usually with a cloth cover.
11:03
Spiral/Ring/Portfolio. Spiral bound; in a loose-leaf binder; or loose leaves gathered into an unattached casing, portfolio or box.
11:04
Pamphlet. Paperback, with fewer than 50 pages, or stapled.
11:07
Flexible Binding. Blackwell’s Book Services - UK uses this designation on paperback titles from a few publishers who will not grant permission for their paperback books to be bound.
11:15
Book with Media or Software. Paper or hardcover book accompanied by A/V material: microfiche, cassette tape, etc., or a book accompanied by computer software.
11:17
Simultaneous Paper. This designation applies to library profiles where the library has chosen to receive the paper instead of the cloth edition of a simultaneously published title.

12: Time Characteristics:

Date ranges are cited only when pertinent to the subject matter. Most books (e.g., Differential calculus; Botany) are given designation 12:26, "No time."
12:01 B.C. E. (B.C.)
12:08 C.E. to 500 (A.D. to 500)
12:09 C.E. to present (A.D. to present)
12:12 500-1500 (Middle Ages)
12:13 1500-1800
12:14 1500 to present
12:16 1800 to present
12:17 1800-1849
12:18 1850-1899
12:19 1900-1945
12:20 20th century
12:23 1946-1969
12:24 1970 to date
12:26 No time. Applied to anything not linked to a chronological period.
12:27 Future

14: Treatment of Subject:

This field describes the book’s approach to the subject. More than one treatment may be used, if appropriate. Treatments other than General (14:27) are assigned in order to show the "flavor" of a title; so "Religious aspects" would not be assigned to a title concerned solely with Religion. "Religious aspects" might, however, be used with a subject from Sociology, Psychology, etc.
14:01
History of.
14:02
Practical. Used for "how-to" books: a step-by-step description of a procedure, books describing the equipment used in a particular field, etc.
14:03
Clinical. For medical books only: clinical aspects of disease or patient management, as opposed to research works, which will be coded 14:27 - General.
14:05
Political/Governmental.
14:08
Teaching of, Pre-College. Used for a book on how to teach a specific subject at the preschool, elementary, or secondary level. For college level instruction, see 14:23.
14:09
Computer Applications. Discusses how to use a computer in the field described by the subject (e.g., Microcomputers in Public Administration).
14:10
Religious Aspects. For a book that presents a spiritual or clerical approach to a secular subject.
14:15
Biographical. Biographies are given the subject/s with which the person in question is most closely identified: for example, a biography of a teacher would get the subject "Teachers" with treatment 14:15. (This treatment is not used when the subject itself is one of the following: Literary biography, Literary autobiography, Biography-crit, General biographies, or General biographical dictionaries.) Popular biographies are coded 14:15, but also Popular Collection 01:11
14:17
Statistical/Mathematical. Applied where the subject is presented from a mathematical or statistical standpoint.
14:18
Legal. For a book discussing the laws pertinent to the subject.
14:19
Economic. For a book approaching the subject from an economic point of view.
14:20
Medical. For medical aspects of a non-medical subject.
14:22
Social Aspects. For a social or sociological discussion of the subject.
14:23
Teaching of, College Level. For works on how to teach the subject on a college or postgraduate level. For instruction below the college level, see 14:08.
14:24
Business/Management. Used for books on management or administration of a particular enterprise or activity, or on the business aspects of that activity, e.g., business aspects of running a non-profit theater.
14:25
Subject Related to Art. Used for books describing the treatment by artists of specific non-art subjects (e.g., Machines in the Art of the Eighties).
14:26
Subject Related to Literature. Used for critical works describing the treatment by creative writers of specific non-literary subjects (e.g., Slavery and Literature). Not used for fictionalizations or thematic anthologies.
14:27
General Treatment. For books that do not take a particular specialised approach to the subject. Over three-quarters of approval books are given this treatment.
14:30
Psychological.
14:32
British Local Interest. Used by Blackwell’s Book Services - UK only on those titles dealing with specifically British issues, purely of local or regional British interest, or about people who are not well recognized outside the United Kingdom.

16: Country of Origin:
Determined by the location of the editorial office responsible for the intellectual content of the book. A new book that originates in the UK will be treated as Country of origin: UK, even if the edition in hand is from an American publisher.
In the case of a translation, the origin of the translation, rather than of the original text, will determine the country of origin. In the case of a reprint (see NSP 10), the origin of the reprint edition, rather than the original edition, is the determining factor.

17: Country of Source:
Shows the location of the publisher or distributor from whom Blackwell’s acquired the book.

18: Geographic Characteristics of the Subject:
This field is used to show the locations pertinent to the subject of the book.
Literary works are given the geographic code of the author’s home country. A North American anthology with a regional orientation may be given the appropriate local geographic descriptor in addition to the country. A work on Differential equations, however, has no relation to a place or country, so it will be coded 00002 - General.
A full list of geographic codes is available. [MARK THIS IS ANOTHER PAGE ON OUR SITE - http://www.blackwell.com/popUps/ssGeolist.asp - NOT SURE HOW YOU WANT TO HANDLE THIS]

Series:
"A group of separate bibliographic items related to one another by the fact that each item bears, in addition to its own title proper, a collective title applying to the group as a whole." (ALA Glossary of Library & Information Science, 1983)
The Blackwell’s Approval Plan offers options for series coverage and interfaces with our Standing Order system as well. A library can block titles in specific series from Approval coverage in two ways - by entering a Standing Order, or by entering "Do Not Send" instructions for that series.
In addition, a library profile can be written to limit coverage to certain types of series (e.g., monographic series only). And even within series types, a library profile can differentiate coverage depending on whether a given title is the first, or a subsequent, volume in the series. Many libraries choose to see the first volume in all types of series, but limit coverage for subsequent volumes.
Blackwell’s offers approval coverage for all types of series published by university presses, and for nearly all monographic series. For non-monographic series, however, often only the first volume is treated on approval, with a note indicating that subsequent volumes are available on a standing order basis. This convention is followed because, in our experience, most libraries would not want only v.5 of Lord Kitchener’s papers. A library would normally place a standing order for all volumes if the set were wanted. The same logic is applied to annuals such as the Statesman’s Yearbook.
Here are working definitions of terms appearing in the list below:
Set: A finite group of books, complete when the subject matter is treated in its entirety.
Monograph: A book with its own, distinct title.
Conference Proceedings: The papers, transactions, or proceedings of a conference, symposium, colloquium, etc. The published record of a meeting.
The types of series are grouped together, with fuller descriptions available.

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