Define corporate author? Discuss treatment of Government Publications according to AACR-2R.

Corporate Author:

A corporate author is an organization, group, or institution that is credited as the creator of a work. This can include government agencies, corporations, associations, and other entities. Unlike individual authors, corporate authors do not have personal names but are identified by their organizational name. Corporate authors are common in publications such as reports, white papers, and official documents where the organization is responsible for the content.

Treatment of Government Publications according to AACR-2R:

AACR-2R (Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, 2nd edition, revised) provides guidelines for cataloging and describing various types of materials, including government publications. The treatment of government publications according to AACR-2R includes the following aspects:

1. Main Entry: The main entry for a government publication is usually the name of the issuing agency or department. For example, a report issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture would be entered under "United States. Department of Agriculture."

2. Title: The title of the publication is transcribed as it appears on the item, with abbreviations expanded and punctuation standardized according to AACR-2R rules.

3. Statement of Responsibility: The statement of responsibility indicates the authorship of the publication. For government publications, this may include the name of the agency or department responsible for the content.

4. Edition: The edition statement indicates the specific edition of the publication, if applicable.

5. Publication Information: This includes the place of publication, publisher, and date of publication. For government publications, the place of publication is often the capital city or a major administrative center, the publisher is the government agency or department, and the date of publication is the year the publication was issued.

6. Physical Description: This includes information about the physical characteristics of the publication, such as the number of pages, size, and format.

7. Series: If the publication is part of a series, the series statement is included in the cataloging record.

8. Notes: Any additional information that may be useful for users, such as the presence of illustrations, maps, or tables, is included in the notes section of the cataloging record.

In conclusion, AACR-2R provides specific guidelines for cataloging government publications, ensuring that they are accurately described and easily accessible to users. By following these guidelines, catalogers can create cataloging records that facilitate the identification and retrieval of government publications in library catalogs.