[DCRM-L] Fists or Manicules?

[Erin Blake]

I’ve got a memory of this being under discussion in the RBMS Controlled Vocabularies Editorial Group, with the thought that “fist” is the appropriate term for the printed symbol and “manicule” for the hand-drawn one.

I think it was set aside during the moratorium, when the old vocabularies were merged into one and migrated from MultiTes to the LC Linked Data Service.

...but it’s entirely possible that this is a conversation Deborah J. Leslie and I were having at the Folger, and it hasn’t gone beyond us, so I’m hoping she’ll jump in.

Erin

_______________________________
Erin Blake, PhD | she/her | Collections Management Systems Administrator and Senior Cataloger | Folger Shakespeare Library | Washington, DC 20003 | eblake at folger.edu<mailto:eblake at folger.edu>
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From: DCRM-L <dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu> On Behalf Of Christine Megowan via DCRM-L
Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2025 8:00 AM
To: DCRM Users' Group <dcrm-l at lib.byu.edu>
Cc: Christine Megowan <cmegowan at gmail.com>
Subject: [DCRM-L] Fists or Manicules?

Hello DCRM-L colleagues,

One of our cataloguers is preparing a signature statement for a book which includes a gathering signed with a pointing hand, which prompted some discussion within our team about the use of "fists" vs. "manicules" in catalogue records.

DCRM(B) 7B9.2 and DCRMR 6.215.44.2 both instruct the cataloguer: "If the gatherings are signed with other unavailable characters, substitute a descriptive term or an abbreviation for that term if a standard abbreviation exists." In both texts, the examples include a pointing hand for which the descriptive term [fist] has been supplied.

If I remember correctly, "fists" was at some point the authorized term for this character in the RBMS Provenance Thesaurus, although I see that it is now a UF under Manicules. I have certainly encountered the term "manicules" more frequently than "fists" when chatting with other bibliophiles.

I confess I am somewhat bothered by the idea of using one term in a signature statement and another in a genre/form heading, but I wondered what the prevailing opinion might be. Would you follow the example and use [fist] in a signature statement, or favour consistency with CVRMC and go with [manicule]?

Best wishes,
Christine Megowan
(Research Collections Discovery & Projects Manager, Heritage Collections, University of Edinburgh)
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