Descriptive cataloging for collections of medical art.

Conserving our profession's historical record would be aided by creating a guide for recording bibliographical information associated with medical art. A guide of this nature should conform to currently accepted national standards for bibliographical listings, reflect the cataloging needs of these specialized materials, and contain a sample data collection sheet. Such a guide would provide a starting point for new or undocumented collections to begin organizing and listing their holdings. This article presents a cataloging guide that is specific to the needs of collecting medical art and that conforms, in both language and structure, to established guidelines for descriptive cataloging.