Considering how common they are, AACR2's treatment of multipart works is deplorable and quite inadequate. In this chapter I will look first at the problems of description, and will then conclude with a short section on access points.

Description

Throughout this discussion I use the term ‘multipart title’ to mean the title that applies to all the parts, and ‘part number’ and ‘part title’ to refer to the number and title of the individual part. In the case of books we would usually use the term ‘volume’ for ‘part’.

Two possible models are provided:

1 Part number and/or part title included in Title and statement of responsibility area

This could presumably be extended to include the part title also (or instead of the part number), and it appears from elsewhere that the punctuation to introduce the part title is ‘comma space’, and that the part title must have a capital letter.

This model is also implied by the rules about uniform titles for parts of a work, where examples of cross-references are given in the same form.

2 Part number and/or part title moved to separate area

i.e., the description of the individual part is relegated to a separate area of the description which is not otherwise used. The whole description of the multipart title comes first.

Notice that in this system the part title is introduced by ‘colon space’ rather than ‘comma space’.

The second system appears only under the heading ‘Multilevel description’ in AACR2 Chapter 13, which otherwise deals with analytical entries. It has the advantage of being infinitely extensible, in cases where the parts are further divided. It is also easier to place edition statements and statements of responsibility correctly so that they appear with the title to which they refer.

The implication is that the latter rule would not normally be used. You are therefore recommended to use the first system. There is another problem, however.