Submission and style guide

This page outlines how to submit new materials to databrass and style/formatting guidelines for new and existing entries. Where possible, databrass follows standards set by existing authorities, especially the (USA) Library of Congress, IMSLP.org and wikipedia.

Submission guide

1. See if your resource follows databrass content rules.
2. See if a work page for your resource already exists. Databrass catalogues different editions of the same work on one page. New editions, translations and even arrangements are all included under one list. If there is already a work page for your resource, add a new edition to the page rather than creating a whole new work page.
3. See if all people associated with the resource (author, editor, translator, subject, etc.) have people pages. If not, create those first.
4. Create a new page for your resource

Creating a new person page

1. Create a new "person" page using the entry form
2. The form will prompt you to provide a VIAF (Virtual International Authority File) or LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number), if possible. These are unique numbers assigned to authors by authorities worldwide. You can search for them on viaf.org or the library of congress.
3. If you entered a VIAF, databrass will automatically pull information about the person and fill out the form. Review this information, correcting errors and entering additional data as needed.
4. If you can't find a VIAF or LCCN, that's fine. Try to provide as much accurate information as possible. Some references you can use are Grove Music, David Hickman's Trumpet Greats: A Biographical Dictionary, or the author's personal website and published materials.
5. Important: do not copy an existing biography, even for yourself. Instead, link to an external biography is possible (wikipedia, personal website, publisher's website, etc.). Biographies are copyrighted and unable to be hosted on databrass.

Creating a new works page

1. Create a new "work" page using the entry form.
2. Select the appropriate type of work for your resource: method or study book, book (i.e.: a book that is exclusively text, not printed music), thesis/dissertation, journal article, magazine article, newspaper article or pedagogical recording.
3. The form will prompt you to provide an OCN (OCLC Control Number): this is a unique number assigned to a publication by OCLC, the entity that runs WorldCat. You can find this number by searching WorldCat or in most library catalogues, often identified simply as "OCLC." Note that different versions of the same book will have different OCNs, so pick what is the most representative or widely-available version. Later, you can add more versions to the same work page.
4. If you entered an OCN or LCCN, databrass will automatically pull information about the work and fill out the form. Review this information, correcting errors and entering additional data as needed.
5. If you can't find an OCN or LCCN, that's fine. Try to provide as much accurate information as possible. If you have a physical copy of the resource, it should contain most of the information. If not, look up the work in WorldCat, google books, amazon, etc.
6. Optionally, continue by adding new versions of the work on the same page.
7. Important: do not copy a published abstract. Abstracts are protected by copyright and unable to be hosted on databrass.