The Répertoire de Vedettes-matière de l’Université Laval Library, 1946–92

Abstract

In 1946, the Université Laval in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, started using Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) in French by creating an authority list, Répertoire de Vedettes-matière (RVM) , whose first published edition appeared in 1962. In the 1970s, the most important libraries in Canada with an interest in French-language cataloging—the Université de Montréal, the Bibliothèque Nationale du Canada, and the Bibliothèque Nationale du Quebec—forged partnerships with the Université Laval to support RVM . In 1974, the Bibliothèque Publique d’Information, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France became the first library in Europe to adopt RVM . During the 1980s, the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BNF) created an authority list, RAMEAU , based upon RVM , which is used by numerous French libraries of all types. The major libraries in Luxembourg adopted RVM in 1985. Individual libraries in Belgium also use RVM , often in combination with LCSH.

The spread of RVM in the francophone world reflects the increasing importance of the pragmatic North American tradition of shared cataloging and library cooperation. RVM and its European versions are based upon literary warrant and make changes to LCSH to reflect the specific cultural and linguistic needs of their user communities. While the users of RVM seek to harmonize the various versions, differences in terminology and probably syntax are inevitable.