| MODS Element | Attributes | Subelements |
| <mods:titleInfo> |
@type @authority |
<mods:title> <mods:subTitle> <mods:partNumber> <mods:partName> <mods:nonSort> |
Usage guidelines:
- One <mods:titleInfo><mods:title> is always required.
- Choice and format of titles are governed by RDA. Other content standards, like CCO, DACS, or DCRM may be used in subsequent <mods:titleInfo> elements. As always, the choice should take into consideration the expectations of users first and the content standard second.
- In general, transcribe the title from the resource. If there is no title on the resource, use a title already assigned or found in reference sources.
- Do not use “Untitled” or the filename. Title is required and null values are not allowed. If no title can be found, construct a title using RDA.
- It is not necessary to have a unique title for every resource.
- Do not include punctuation intended to separate parts of the title (eg. a colon after <mods:title>, followed by <mods:subTitle>).
- For parallel titles, use separate <mods:titleInfo> elements with @type=“translated” and @lang=’[appropriate iso639-2/b code]
- Only include dates if they are considered part of the title.
- Multiple <mods:namePart> elements should be used in a single <mods:titleInfo> to describe a single part with many hierarchical levels. Multiple parts should be separated into multiple <mods:titleInfo> elements.
- <mods:nonSort> is always required when non-sorting characters are present (e.g. ‘the’, ‘an’)
Elements
<mods:titleInfo>
Required: Y
Repeatable: Y
Definition: A word, phrase, character, or group of characters, normally appearing in a resource, that names it or the work contained in it. <mods:titleInfo> must contain at least one <mods:title> subelement.
Attributes:
type (required if applicable): do not use the type attribute for the primary title, but use it for all subsequent titles. Type accepts the following values:
abbreviated: title as abbreviated for indexing or identification
translated: cataloger-supplied translation of the title proper
alternative: varying form of the title if it contributes to the further identification of the item, including parallel titles
uniform: a preferred title, used when a work has appeared under varying titles
authority (required if applicable): when type=”uniform”, the value is always “naf” for the Library of Congress’ Name Authority File
<mods:title>
Required: Y
Repeatable: N
MARC: 245 $a
Definition: A word, phrase, character, or group of characters that constitutes the chief title of a resource (i.e. the title normally used when citing the resource).
<mods:subTitle>
Required: N
Repeatable: N
MARC: 245 $b
Definition: A word, phrase, character, or group of characters that contains the remainder of the title information after the title proper
<mods:partNumber>
Required: N
Repeatable: N
MARC: 245 $n
Definition: A part or section number of a title (e.g. volume 1, part 3) when that part refers to an intellectual component of the resource
<mods:partName>
Required: N
Repeatable: Y
MARC: 245 $p
Definition: A part or section name of a title (e.g. chapter title, episode name, or audio clip)
<mods:nonSort>
Required: N
Repeatable: N
MARC: 245 second indicator
Definition: Characters, including initial articles, punctuation, and spaces that appear at the beginning of a title that should be ignored for indexing of titles.
Examples
<mods:titleInfo>
<mods:nonSort>The</mods:nonSort>
<mods:title>Olympics</mods:title>
<mods:subTitle>a history</mods:subTitle>
<mods:partNumber>Part 1</mods:partNumber>
<mods:partName>Ancient</mods:partName>
</titleInfo>
<mods:titleInfo type="uniform" authority="naf">
<mods:title>Bible</mods:title>
<mods:partName>Exodus</mods:partName>
</mods:titleInfo>
<mods:titleInfo xml:lang="fr" type="translated">
<mods:nonSort>L'</mods:nonSort>
<mods:title>homme qui voulut être roi</mods:title>
</mods:titleInfo>
<mods:titleInfo lang="rus" script="Latn">
<mods:title>Geodezja i urzadzenia roline</mods:title>
</mods:titleInfo>