Short-Title Catalogue
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Librarian: Cathy Eisenhower
Location: Gelman Library
E-mail: cathye@gwu.edu
Phone: 202-994-9508
Updated: November 2005
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See first Early English Books Online (EEBO).
The Short-Title Catalogue of English Books, here and elsewhere referred to as
the STC as if it were a single entity, is in fact a two-part set of catalogues
of English books and other materials published from the advent of printing in
the 15th century up to 1700. The first part (known as STC/Pollard &
Redgrave), covers 1475-1640, and the second (known as Wing),
covers 1641-1700. Two sequences of microfilm reflect these time periods and are
known as STC1 and STC2. Note that microfilming
the texts listed in these catalogues is still ongoing, so that not all
entries listed in the STC are yet available on microfilm.
Every text, and many variant editions of texts in the STC, has been assigned
a unique number known as the STC or Wing number, depending on the date
of the text. Microfilmed documents have, additionally, been given a microfilm
reel number. To locate the full-text documents on microfilm, it is essential
to obtain the microfilm reel number and, if available, the position
number of the document on the reel. Once you have the microfilm reel number,
you can find the microfilm reel in the Microform Room on the third floor
of Gelman Library where the collection is arranged in two sequences: STC1
(Pollard & Redgrave) and STC2 (Wing).
This guide provides instructions on how to use the Short-Title Catalogue
(STC) and how to find documents on microfilm. The guide is divided into
the following sections:
The URL for this page is http://www.gwu.edu/gelman/guides/general/stc.html
- Many titles in the STC are listed in the database WorldCat,
and the STC/Wing number is often recorded in the Notes, Series
or References field of the full record. If the document
you are searching for has been microfilmed, you may find the microfilm
reel number also. If you are a currently affiliated GWU student, faculty,
or staff member, you can access WorldCat by going to ALADIN and scrolling
through the M-Z segment under "Databases by Title" or enter
"WorldCat" in the box labeled "Find Databases by Name/Category"
(http://www.aladin.wrlc.org/). Search
by title, author, or subject and limit your search if necessary, by
date or by publisher name. For more information on how to search in
WorldCat go to http://www.gwu.edu/gelman/guides/database/worldcat/.
Below is a sample WorldCat record:
If there is no STC/Wing number, proceed to Step 2.
If there is an STC/Wing number, but no microfilm reel, proceed to Step
3.
If you find the microfilm number, note it and proceed to the Microform
Room on the Third Floor.
- Short-Title Catalogue of English Books Printed in England,Scotland,
and Ireland, and of English books Printed Abroad, 1475-1640
(Pollard & Redgrave), published in two editions (REF Z 2002
.P77 1926 and REF Z 2002). Also referred to as "STC."
Short-Title Catalogue of Books Printed in England, Scotland,
Ireland, Wales and British America, and of English Books Printed in
Other Countries, 1641-1700 (Wing),
also in two editions (REF Z 2002 .W5 and REF Z 2002). Also referred
to as "Wing."
These catalogues are arranged alphabetically by author
or, where there is no author, by title. There is some limited subject
access under broad headings such as "England." Remember that
the two sets of catalogues cover two distinct time periods, so always
note the date of your document if you know it. Bear in mind that there
are two editions of each catalogue, and it may be necessary
to check both editions as some entries were added or re-numbered. The
STC/Wing number is listed on the left of each entry,
and in the case of Wing, the initial letter of the author's last name
(or of the first word of the title) precedes the document numbers; this
is indicated at the head of each page. Make a note of this number before
proceeding to Step 3.
- NOTE: The Cross Indexes described below do not
cover all the microfilm that has been published so far. If the material
you seek is not in the Cross Indexes, you will need to proceed to Step
4.
STC/Pollard & Redgrave (STC1): There is one
Cross Index:
Early English Books 1475-1640: selected from Pollard and
Redgrave's Short-title Catalogue: Cross Index to Reels 1-1979
(REF Z 2002 .E28 1988).
Look for the exact STC number in the left-hand column
and match it up to the reel number in the opposite column. If you
have located the microfilm reel number, proceed to Step 5.
If not go to Step 4.
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Wing (STC2): There
are three large-format Cross Indexes:
Early English Books, 1641-1700: selected from Donald Wing's
Short-title catalogue: a cross index (REF Z 2002 .E27
1982). These volumes cover reels 1-2164.
Look for the exact Wing number in the
left-hand column and match it to the reel number in the opposite column.
If you have located the microfilm reel number, proceed to Step
5. If not, go to Step 4.
-
- STC/Pollard & Redgrave (STC1): Early English books, 1475-1640,
selected from Pollard and Redgrave's Short-title catalogue; a guide to...the
microfilm collection (REF Z 2002 .E284 1966).
The latest three volumes of this set, 12, 13 and 14, cover the microfilm
reels not included in the cross index mentioned above (i.e. reels 1980-2052).
These Guides are small booklets that are issued with microfilm
units as they are published and are organized accordingly, by reel number,
each booklet starting with a new alphabetical sequence.
Wing (STC2): There are two resources
that may be consulted:
- Early English books, 1641-1700, selected from Donald
Wing's Short-title catalogue; a guide to...the microfilm collection
(REF Z 2002 .E274 1970z).
This comprises 64 Guides, small booklets issued when new microfilm
units are published. Material published after reel 2164 (when coverage
in the Cross Indexes ends) may be found in subsequent Guides,
of which there are currently 22, covering reels 2156-2576.
- Early English books, 1641-1700: a cumulative index
to units 1-60 of the microfilm collection (REF Z 2002
.E22 1990).
This 9-volume set combines full bibliographical information with Wing
numbers and microfilm reel numbers in author, title and subject indexes.
This can be extremely helpful if you do not need a specific document
but would like to find documents on a particular topic. However, these
volumes only cover roughly 60 percent of the entire
Wing Collection.
- Microfilm reel numbers often contain a second number that appears after
a colon (:). This is the reel position number and refers to the place
on the microfilm reel where the document is to be located. For example,
1332:29 indicates that the item is the 29th document on reel 1332.
At the beginning of all Wing (STC2) microfilm reels there is a list of
numbers that indicate, by Wing number, the contents and order of documents
on that reel. These numbers are very helpful in locating your documents
on the microfilm.
MICROFILM READER-PRINTERS: Instructions for use are
posted on each machine. Photocopying from the reader-printers requires
a GWorld card with debit dollars on it. If necessary, add money to your
GWorld card at the VTS machines located on the third floor or online with
a credit card at http://gworld.gwu.edu/.
If you do not have a GWorld card, you can purchase a Courtesy Card for
a one-time, non-refundable fee of $1 at the VTS machines. Courtesy cards
obtained at the VTS machines are good only for photocopying in Gelman
Library. If you have questions, about printing from the microfilm reader-printers,
go to the Photocopy Center on the third floor.
You may be able to access it electronically (see "Online
Resources" below). It is also possible that your document has not
yet been filmed. If so, you may be able to request a copy of it from Interlibrary
Loan. Submit a form to ILL online (http://www.gwu.edu/gelman/service/interlibrary/ilb.cfm)
or complete a form manually and hand it in at the ILL Office (Room 103)
on the first floor of Gelman Library.
ONLINE RESOURCES: ProQuest produces
a database known as Early English Books Online (EEBO). Thousands of documents
from the STC and other collections have been made available full-text
online, together with bibliographic records that provide STC/Wing numbers
and microfilm reel numbers. However, this is not available at Gelman.
GW students wishing to use EEBO may do so by visiting Lauinger Library
at Georgetown University. Doctoral students and faculty may also use the
Folger Shakespeare Library. Note that EEBO is NOT available at the Library
of Congress.
When You Have Partial Information
- What if I only have the STC or Wing number?
- If the number is preceded by a letter, look it up in Wing. Otherwise,
look it up in STC/Pollard & Redgrave. Then search for the microfilm
reel number first by searching under author and/or title in WorldCat or,
if this fails, go to the Cross Indexes (see Step 3).
- What if I only have a title?
- Your best chance of tracking down the document would be
through WorldCat. If you can't find it there, try the title index volumes
of Early English books, 1641-1700: a cumulative index to units 1-60
of the microfilm collection (REF Z 2002 .E22 1990). If this fails,
look it up by title in STC/Pollard & Redgrave and Wing, as anonymous
works are entered by title.
For more information, call the Reference Desk at 202-994-6048 or use the E-mail
Reference Form. This page is maintained by Cathy
Eisenhower.
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