Designating Materials: From “Germane Terms” to Element Types

While directions for the use of “germane terms for the physical medium of the work” appeared in the 1964 Rules for Descriptive Cataloging in the Library of Congress: Phonorecords, most libraries choosing to integrate nonbook materials in their collections, either colour-coded their catalogue cards, or added two-digit media codes to call numbers. The first formalized list of “general material designations” (gmds)–placed immediately following the title proper as an early warning device–was published in 1978 in the second edition of the Anglo- American Cataloguing Rules. Since their introduction they have been controversial, as this investigation of the evolution of material designations explores.