Are there specific guidelines by which LC operates when determining which of duplicate headings should be deleted?
There are no specific guidelines for handling duplicates. NACO catalogers are encouraged to make the determination as to which NAR should be canceled and report this to their LC liaison. Generally: • Prefer to keep a heading that has been coded for AACR2 over one that has not been coded. • If both NARs are coded for AACR2, prefer the heading that contains more information (e.g., dates, fuller form of name). • If, however, one AACR2 heading is represented on several bibliographic records and the other AACR2 heading has few or no associated bibliographic records, prefer the heading with the larger number of bibliographic records. • If both headings are identical, prefer the one with the more complete set of information citations (670s) and references. • If all things are equal, pick either one. Do not agonize over the choice! In any case, useful information from the NAR being canceled is transferred to the NAR being kept. Only LC can cancel duplicates, but the NACO Program relies on inde
