[PW] Cataloging in Publication (CIP)

[T. F. Mills]

On 19 Jul 2008 at 11:16, Pam Rider wrote:

> A self-publishing client is working on a second edition. The first ed. 
> CIP (Cataloging in Publication) was "handled" by someone now gone. There 
> must have been a glitch. Neither the author nor the book first edition 
> is in the LOC (Library of Congress) database. (I suspect that a copy was 
> never sent to the LOC.)
> 
> The author needs help in correcting any problems going through the CIP 
> process. The LOC basic pages don't list a CIP "contact" link.
> 
> Information on clearing up CIP anomalies will be much appreciated or a 
> link to that Library of Congress.

I'm not sure I fully understand the question, for "self-published" is the author, no?  

As for CIP, by definition that means that LoC received pre-publication data to speed up the 
national cataloguing process, sent the CIP data back to the publisher to include in the 
publication, and then received a copy of the publication.  Self-publishers are generally 
ineligible to participate in the programme.   Individual authors do not "go through the CIP 
process."   A handful of small publishers don't understand this process, but think a book must 
have CIP, and invent their own.  The results provide no end of laughs for cataloguers, but 
only a cataloguer would understand.  It sounds as if the person "now gone" who "handled" 
the first edition was one of these inadvertent jokers.

cip.loc.gov has all the information that eligible publishers need to get into the CIP 
programme.


T.F. Mills                            (Colorado, USA)
temporary email:         phasco at earthlink.net
(pending resurrection of regiments.org mail)