Re: Call No. For DVD movies based on printed titles

John said:

>Many LCC libraries co-opt the screen play class numbers (PN1997/PN1997.2)
>to serve their needs.  As others have posted, it is also not uncommon to
>make a slight modification to that approach by reserving it for original
>feature films but, when a film is based on a story, of instead using the
>classification number for the source work ...

We've found two main objections to classing motion pictures based on
literary works with the works.  First, most patrons approach feature
films by title, and prefer one title order, regardless of whether
domestic or foreign, whether early or recent, whether an original
script or based on an earlier literature work.  Dividing feature films
is the prime objection we find to any system other than a single title
alphabetical arrangement.  Second, motion pictures are collaborative
shared responsibility efforts, and basing the class number and Cutter
on the author of the literary work of which it is sometimes a very
distant adaptation is not true to the nature of the material.  Sometimes
titles change, sometimes locale changes, often characters or subplots
are added or subtracted, as well as endings being changed.

Clients almost universally agree that documentaries should be classed
by subject.  When the documentary is also a feature film, a few prefer
to keep them with other motion pictures.

We urge clients to class all library resources, and not create ghettos
of material by opting out of the classification scheme.  If an
alternate arrangement is wanted, e.g., Superintendent of Documents for
US federal government documents, that desired number may be prefixed
by a class number, e.g., J81 in an LCC library.