James Weldon Johnson Collection
(Approved for use January 10, 2000)
Scope|
Size |
Marking |
Classification|
Special notes and tracings
This collection was founded in 1941 by Carl Van Vechten as a memorial to Dr. James Weldon Johnson and celebrates the accomplishments of African-American writers and artists. This collection also includes examples of African-Americana. It is considered a separate unit within the framework of YCAL. For more information consult the Guide to the Collections.
The size boundaries for JWJ materials are:The following guidelines are used when marking volumes in JWJ:
- Octavo:
- up to 25 cm. high
- up to 23 cm. wide
- Quarto:
- between 25 and 37 cm. high
- between 23 and 32 cm. wide
- Folio (Class in Year/number folio sequence with location code bein,ycal):
- over 37 cm. high
- over 32 cm. wide
Classification of the James Weldon Johnson Collection basically follows the rules and principles described for YCAL. A distinction is made in the classification between books by non-Black authors about Blacks and African-Americans (JWJ Za), and books by Black and African-American authors (JWJ Zan).
Individual works by black authors
JWJ follows the pattern for YCAL classification of alphabetical by author and,
under each author, chronological by date of first edition. (See Other
Types of Materials for non-authorial classification.) The first line of
the call number is "JWJ" to indicate material from the James Weldon Johnson
Collection. The second line is from the "Old Yale" classification scheme
where "Z" meant rare material. The letter "a" was chosen to represent American
literature and the letter "n" material by Black or African-American authors.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan Book by Black author
The third line is the author's Cutter number (derived from C.A. Cutter's three-figure author table), making exceptions when main entry rule changes introduced with AACR2 would result in a split author number (as in the case of Twain vs. Clemens). Expand the number to four or even five digits if necessary to distinguish authors and to place them correctly in the alphabetical sequence.
Examples
Steward, T. G. The Haitian revolution ..., 1914.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan Black author St492 T.G. Steward's author number Stewart, Daniel Y. Black New Haven, c1977.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan Black author St4925 Daniel Y. Stewart's author number Stewart, John. Curving road, 1975.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan Black author St493 John Stewart's author number
Anonymous works
If a work is by an anonymous author, create a Cutter number using the first
word of the title.
The fourth line is the last three digits of the date of the first edition followed by the initial letter of the title. Use "H" or "J" instead of "I" (which can be mistaken for the number one); use "N" or "P" instead of "O" (which can be mistaken for zero). If the letter for the title is already taken, use the subsequent letter in the alphabet. Lower case letters "b", "c", "d", etc. are added to signify a second, third, fourth, etc. edition or other subsequent editions. The addition of "a" is normally reserved for proof copies; proof copies of later editions add the letter "a" after the edition indicator. Beginning in 2000, for books first published after 1999, use all four digits of the date for the third line.
Examples
Wright, Richard. White man, listen!, 1957.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan Black author W936 Wright's author number 957W Year of publication of original ed. followed by initial letter of title
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan Black author W936 Wright's author number 957Wa Year of publication of original ed. followed by initial letter of title and "a" to indicate proof copy Macmillan, Terry. [A book she will publish in 2010].
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan Black author M2285 Macmillan's author number 2010B Cutter for the original edition of [A book she will publish in 2010]
Examples
Bontemps, Arna Wendell.
<Correspondence> Arna Bontemps-Langston Hughes letters, 1925-1967. -- New York, 1980.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan Black author H874 Hughes' author number 980A Year of publication of first ed. followed by initial letter of title
If a work is to be classed with a person who is not the main entry for the bibliographic record and the work does not fall into any of the categories below, class the work as instructed by Beinecke. Follow the date in the fourth line with the first letter of the item's title.
Example
Nutt, Howard. Special laughter: poems / ... with an introduction by Richard Wright, c1940.
[Beinecke Library In-Process slip (BLIP) instructs to class with Wright]
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan Black author W936 Wright's author number. 940S Year of publication followed by initial letter of item's title
B - Complete worksExample
Fictitious book, 1935. -- Attributed to Zora Neale Hurston.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan Black author H946 Hurston's author number A935 Year of publication preceded by "A" to indicate doubtful attribution
Example
Hammon, Jupiter. America's first Negro poet: the complete works of Jupiter Hammon ... , 1970.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan Black author H184 Hammon's author number B970A Year of publication preceded by "B" to indicate complete works and followed by initial letter of title
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Example
Brown, Sterling Allen. The collected poems of Sterling A. Brown selected by Michael S. Harper, 1980.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan Black author B815 Brown's author number C980C Year of publication preceded by "C" to indicate collection and followed by initial letter of title
Example
Douglass, Frederick. Frederick Douglass: selections from his writings edited ... by Philip S. Foner, c1945.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan Black author D747 Douglass's author number D945F Year of publication preceded by "D" to indicate extracts and followed by initial letter of title
E - Translations
Use in combination with the letter from the table below.
[e.g. Eh = French, En = German, etc.] The letter combination is followed
by date of first edition of the specific translation, and the initial letter
for the translator when known, or the initial letter of the title proper if
the translator is unknown. Class here translations of an author's work. Class
works translated by the author with the individual
works of the author. Class translations here even if they are translations
of collections or extracts. Adjust translator or title cutter in case of conflict.
Example
Himes, Chester B. [Big gold dream. French] Tout pour plaire = The big gold dream / traduit de l'americain par Yves Malartic, 1959.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan Black author H572 Himes's author number Eh959M Year of publication preceded by "Eh" to indicate translation into French and followed by initial letter of translator
f Polyglots, Latin g English h French, Provencal j Italian k Spanish, Catalan L Portuguese, Romansh (Raeto-Romance), Romanian n German p Dutch, Flemish, Afrikaans q Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Icelandic r Greek t Celtic, Gaelic, Irish, Breton, Welsh, etc. u Lithuanian, Bohemian (Czech), Polish, Russian, modern Bulgarian, Uralic-Altaic, Finnish, Hungarian, Turkish, Croatian, Serbian, Basque, and other Eastern European languages not specified elsewhere v Armenian, Albanian, Slovene w Indo-Iranian, Sanskrit, Persian, Semitic, Chinese, Japanese, Hebrew, Yiddish, Arabic, Vietnamese, Thai, Burmese, Korean, Indian (incl. Malayan, Bengali, etc.)
Example
Doe, Jane. Meridian the play ... based on a story by Alice Walker, 1994.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan Black author W15 Walker's author number F994D Year of publication preceded by "F" to indicate dramatization and followed by initial letter of main entry
Exception: class sheet music and scores by individual author under JWJ V2 or JWJ V3.
Class collections of music/lyrics by more than one author under JWJ V1.
K - Concordances, dictionaries, encyclopedias, indexes, etc.Example
Poe, Joan. A satire on modern American authors, 1988. (Includes satire of works of Toni Morrison.)
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan Black author M8338 Morrison's author number H988P Year of publication preceded by "H" to indicate parody and followed by initial letter of main entry
Example
Mandelik, Peter. A concordance to the poetry of Langston Hughes, 1975.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan Black author H874 Hughes's author number +K975M Year of publication preceded by "K" to indicate concordance and followed by initial letter of main entry
L - Periodicals
Not used for new titles; used only for issues added to existing titles. Use
JWJ A for new serial titles.
N - Tributes, memorials, festivals, exhibitions
Example
To Gwen with love: an anthology dedicated to Gwendolyn Books, 1971.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan Black author B791 Brooks's author number N971T Year of publication preceded by "N" to indicate tribute and followed by initial letter of main entry
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Q - Bibliography, dealer's catalogs
Example
Parker, John W. A bibliography of the published writings of Benjamin Griffith Brawley, 1957.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan Black author B739 Brawley's author number Q957P Year of publication preceded by "Q" to indicate bibliography and followed by initial letter of main entry
Example
Roe, Richard. Caribbean world. The sources of some of Jamaica Kincaid's stories, 1989.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan Black author K574 Kincaid's author number R989R Year of publication preceded by "R" to indicate source and followed by initial letter of main entry
Example
Rudwick, Elliott M. W.E.B. Du Bois, 1960.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan Black author D853 Du Bois's author number S960R Year of publication preceded by "S" to indicate general criticism and followed by initial letter of main entry
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Sz - Books containing critical contributions about the authorT - Criticism of a specific work
Use with the initial letter of the work criticized.
Example
Joe, James. Life is easy. A criticism of Dorothy West's The living is easy, 1950.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan Black author W746 West's author number Tm950J Year of publication preceded by "Tm" to indicate criticism of specific work and initial letter of specific work and followed by initial letter of main entry
Example
Holt, Rackham. Mary McLeod Bethune: a biography, 1964.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan Black author B465 Bethune's author number W964H Year of publication preceded by "W" to indicate biography and followed by initial letter of main entry
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Z - Homes, towns and times (background)Example
Boe, B en. Postwar Harlem. James Baldwin's Harlem, 1965.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan Black author B193 Baldwin's author number Z965B Year of publication preceded by "W" to indicate work about author's home and followed by first letter of main entry
Example
George, Emery Edward. Black Jesus, 1974. (Poem about Martin Luther King).
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan Black author K588 King's author number Za974G Year of publication preceded by "Za" to indicate drama about author and followed by first letter of main entry
Zz
- Association books
Used for books with dedications to the author, and books from the author's library.
The three-digit date of the work in hand is followed by the initial letter of
the main entry. Add one or more letters from the main entry to resolve conflicts. No
attempt is made to collocate.
Note: The author of the work takes precedence over provenance when classing,
unless instructed otherwise.
Example
Criticism in America by Irving Babbitt [and others], 1924. (Owned and annotated by Countee Cullen)
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan Black author C897 Cullen's author number Zz924C Year of publication preceded by "Zz" to indicate book from author's library and followed by first letter of main entry
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Individual Works about Blacks by non-Blacks
JWJ follows the pattern for YCAL classification of alphabetical by author and,
under each author, chronological by date of first edition. (See Other Types
of Materials for non-authorial classification.) The first line of the call
number is JWJ to indicate material from the James Weldon Johnson Collection.
The second line is from the "Old Yale" classification scheme where "Z"
meant rare material; the letter "a" was chosen to represent American literature.
The third line is the author's Cutter number (derived from C.A. Cutter's three-figure author table), making exceptions when main entry rule changes introduced with AACR2 would result in a split author number (as in the case of Twain vs. Clemens). Expand the number to four or even five digits if necessary to distinguish authors and to place them correctly in the alphabetical sequence.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Za Work by white author about Blacks or African-Americans
Examples
Mangum, Charles Staples. The legal status of the Negro, 1940.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Za White author writing about Blacks or African-Americans M314 Mangum's author number
Mann, Horace. Slavery, 1851.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Za White author writing about Blacks or African-Americans M3147 Horace Mann's author number
Mann, Peggy. A room in Paris, 1955.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Za White author writing about Blacks or African-Americans M315 Peggy Mann's author number
Anonymous works
If a work is by an anonymous author, create a Cutter number using the first
word of the title.
The fourth line is the last three digits of the date of the first edition followed by the initial letter of the title. Use "H" or "J" instead of "I" (which can be mistaken for the number one); use "N" or "P" instead of "O" (which can be mistaken for zero). If the letter for the title is already taken, use the subsequent letter in the alphabet. Lower case letters "b", "c", "d", etc. are added to signify a second, third, fourth, etc. edition or other subsequent editions. The addition of "a" is normally reserved for proof copies; proof copies of later editions add the letter "a" after the edition indicator. Beginning in 2000, for books first published after 1999, use all four digits of the date for the third line.
Examples
Halsey, Margaret. Color blind, 1946.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Za White author writing about Blacks or African-Americans H165 Halsey's author number 946C Year of publication of original ed. followed by initial letter of title
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Za White author writing about Blacks or African-Americans H165 Halsey's author number 946Ca Year of publication of original ed. followed by initial letter of title and "a" to indicate proof copy
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Za White author writing about Blacks or African-Americans H165 Halsey's author number 946Cd Year of publication of original ed. followed by initial letter of title and "c" to indicate 4th printing
Coe, Charles. The medium size book about African-Americans, 2035.
If a work is to be classed with a person who is not the main entry for the bibliographic record, and the work does not fall into any of the categories below, class the work as instructed by Beinecke. Follow the date in the fourth line with the first letter of the item's title.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Za White author writing about Blacks or African-Americans C644 Coe's author number 2035M Cutter for the year of publication of the original ed. followed by initial letter of title
Collected
works, translations of an author, and works associated with an author
Use the following table for collected works, translations, and works associated
with an author. These and other categories are denoted by the initial letters
listed below which are used at the beginning of the third line of the call number,
followed by a three-digit date and the initial letter of the main entry, except
where indicated otherwise. Use the system delineated above of a final "a" for
proof copy, "b" for second edition, etc. Beginning in 2000, for books first
published after 1999, use all four digits of the date for the third line.
B - Complete
works
Follow the year of publication with initial letter of title.
C - Collections
of an author's works
Use when a collection contains two or more items. Follow the year of publication
with the initial letter of the title. Used for collections of previously
published works compiled by someone other than the author.
D - Extracts
Use for extracts from several works rather than compilations. Extracts from
a single work class with other editions of that work. Follow the year of publication
with the initial letter of the title.
E - Translations
Use in combination with the letter from the table above (e.g.
Eh = French, En = German, etc.). The letter combination is followed by
the date of first edition of the specific translation, and the initial letter
for the translator when known, or the initial letter of the title proper if
the translator is unknown. Class here translations of an author's work. Class
works translated by the author with the individual
works of the author. Class translations here even if they are translations of collections or extracts. Adjust translator or title Cutter in case of conflict.
Example
Helander, Gunnar. [Svart symfone. English] Black rhapsody / translated from the Swedish by Margery Osberg, 1956.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Za White author writing about Blacks or African-Americans H3664 Helander's author number Eg956P Year of publication preceded by "Eg" to indicate translation into English and followed by initial letter of translator ["P" being used in place of "O" because the latter might be mistaken for zero]
f Polyglots, Latin g English h French, Provencal j Italian k Spanish, Catalan l Portuguese, Romansh (Raeto-Romance), Romanian n German p Dutch, Flemish, Afrikaans q Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Icelandic r Greek t Celtic, Gaelic, Irish, Breton, Welsh, etc. u Lithuanian, Bohemian (Czech), Polish, Russian, modern Bulgarian, Uralic-Altaic, Finnish, Hungarian, Turkish, Croatian, Serbian, Basque, and other Eastern European languages not specified elsewhere v Armenian, Albanian, Slovene w Indo-Iranian, Sanskrit, Persian, Semitic, Chinese, Japanese, Hebrew, Yiddish, Arabic, Vietnamese, Thai, Burmese, Korean, Indian (incl. Malayan, Bengali, etc.)
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G - Scores/music
Used for librettos and works about music.
Exception: class sheet music and scores by individual author under
JWJ V2 or JWJ V3.
Class collections of music/lyrics by more than one author under JWJ V1.
H - Adaptations, parodies, etc.
K- Concordances, dictionaries, encyclopedias, indexes, etc.
L - Periodicals
Not used for new titles; used only for issues added to existing titles.
Use JWJ A for new serial titles.
N - Tributes, memorials, festivals, exhibitions
Q - Bibliography, dealer's catalogs
S - Criticisms, commentaries (general)
Sz - Books containing critical
contributions about the author
Obsolete as of November 1998. Reclass to "S" when found.
T - Criticism
of a specific work
Used with the initial letter of the work criticized.
W - Biography
Note: Autobiography, memoirs, and similar works by the author class
as individual works by the author.
Y - Works by or about relatives and friends
Z - Homes, towns and times (background)
Za - Poetry, drama, and fiction
Zc - Special interests and activities
Zz - Association
books
Used for books with dedications to the author, and books from the author's library.
The three-digit date of the work in hand is followed by the initial letter of
the main entry. No attempt is made to collocate.
Note: The author of the work takes precedence over provenance when
classing unless instructed otherwise.
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SerialsExamples
Congo mission news
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection A Serial relating to Blacks or African-Americans C7603 Cutter number for main entry. New theatre news
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection A Serial relating to Blacks or African-Americans N446 Cutter number for main entry. On the track
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection A Serial relating to Blacks or African-Americans On18 Cutter number for main entry. In general, when a serial changes title, the classification will remain the same.
Examples
Negro digest
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection A Serial relating to Blacks or African-Americans N318 Cutter for main entry. Black world [continutes Negro digest]
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection A Serial relating to Blacks or African-Americans N318 Cutter for original main entry.
Indexes
An index for a serial that is published as part of the serial will be added
to the bibliographic record for the serial and will be marked "Index" at the
end of the call number. An index to a serial that is published by an outside
entity will be classed with the serial as above with an "A" following the number
for the serial.
Examples
Black world
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection A Serial relating to Blacks or African-Americans V874A Cutter for main entry and A to indicate Index
Miscellaneous material
Miscellaneous material, including prospectuses, promotional literature, letters,
subscription notices, etc. is usually removed and put into vertical files in
Beinecke. When miscellaneous material is kept with the serial, it will be classed
with the serial, as above, with a "C" following the number for the serial. If
an item is to be individually cataloged, the fourth line will a four digit date
followed by a letter for the main entry.
Examples
McNamera, Robert. Prospectus for American writer, 1936.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection A Serial relating to Blacks or African-Americans Am358C Cutter for main entry followed by C to indicate miscellaneous material 1936M Year of publication followed by first letter of main entry
Examples
Joost, Nicholas. The first ten years of equal opportunity.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection A Serial relating to Blacks or African-Americans Eq25X Cutter for main entry followed by X to indicate a critical work about a serial J74 Cutter for main entry
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1 Offprints (Obsolete) 2 Collections of clippings (Obsolete) V1-V6 Music (except sheet music) Sheet Music Sheet music X413 Bibliographies Zzan1 C1 Broadsides(Obsolete) Zan2 Anthologies Zan3 Collective biographies Zan5 Photography (Obsolete?) Zan8 Phonograph recordings, films, audio tapes, video tapes, and CDs
V1- Collections of anonymous authorship or collections by multiple composers and/or lyricists
Example
Harris, Leon R. I'm a railroad man, compiled and edited by
Leon R. Harris. c1948.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection V1 Collections of anonymous authorship or by many composers H24 Cutter for compiler or editor +948 Year of publication
V2 - African-American lyricist
Example
Vodery, William H. Jig walk, words by Henry Creamer ; music by Will
Vodery. [c1945]
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection V2 Work by African-American lyricist C86 Cutter for lyricist J5 Cutter for title
V3 - Collections of music by a single African-American composer
Example
Cook, Will Marion. Rain-song ... [c1912]
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection V3 African-American composer C77 Cutter for composer R13 Cutter for title
V4 - Collections of music about African-Americans not written by African-Americans
Example
Kelly, William A. Only a dream of that beautiful city ... c1903.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection V4 Music by whites about African-Americans K29 Cutter for composer O5 Cutter for title
V6 - Record catalogs
Example
Gramophone Shop (New York). The Gramophone Shop encyclopedia of recorded
music, 1936.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection V6 Record catalog G7 Cutter for name of company 1936 Four digit date or volume number
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Anonymous sheet music
Example
Now I love Sukey dearly, ca. 1840.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Sheet Music V1 Anonymous work N86 Cutter for title
Sheet music by African-American lyricists
Example
Franklin, Dave, 1895-1970. Buzz, Mirandy, words by Henry Creamer ; music by Dave Franklin, c1922
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Sheet Music V2 Work by African-American lyricist C86 Cutter for lyricist B989 Cutter for title
Sheet music by African-American composers
Example
Brooks, Shelton. Walkin' the dog, words and music by Shelton Brooks, c1916
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Sheet Music V3 Work by African-American composer B791 Cutter for composer W15 Cutter for title
Sheet music about African-Americans
Example
Gershwin, George, 1898-1937. I got plenty o' nuttin' , lyric by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward ; [music by] George Gershwin, c1935.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Sheet Music V4 Work about African-Americans G323 Cutter for composer I11 Cutter for title
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X413 - Bibliographies and catalogs
The third line is a three-digit date followed by the initial letter of the main entry. Beginning in 2000, for books first published after 1999, use all four digits of the date for the third line.
Zzan1 C1 - BroadsidesExample
Deodene, Frank. Black American poetry since 1944; a preliminary checklist. 1971.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection X413 Bibliographies and catalogs 971D Year of publication followed by initial letter of main entry
OBSOLETE. Class as year/number and use bein,ycal for location.
The third line is a three-digit
date. Beginning in 2000 for books first published after 1999, use all four
digits of the
date for the third line. The fourth line is a Cutter number for the first word
of the title.
Note: If another edition
is already established in the old scheme, use the old scheme and add a letter
at the end for the
appropriate edition.
Example of old form
Pereda Valdes, Ildefonso. Antologia de la poesia negra americana, 1936.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan2 Anthology 936P Year of publication followed by initial letter of main entry. Example of new form
Book of recent African-American poetry, 1998.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan2 Anthology 998 Year of publication B644 Cutter for first word of title
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Zan3 - Collective biographies
The third line is a three-digit date followed by the initial letter of main
entry. Beginning in 2000 for books first published after 1999, use all
four digits of the date for the third line.
Example
Stull, Edith Gilbert. Unsung Black Americans, 1971.
JWJ James Weldon Johnson Collection Zan3 Collective biographies 971S Year of publication followed by initial letter of main entry
Zan6
- History and criticism of Black and African-American literature
Obsolete.
Zan8 - Phonograph
recordings, films, audio tapes, video tapes, and CDs
The second line consists of one of the following initial letters followed by
a four-digit date and the first letter of the title.
Special notes and tracings
A Audio tapes C Compact disks D Digital video disks F Films P Phonograph recordings V Video tapes
Add subject headings relating to African-Americans to works that would not normally have the tracings made.
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