TMat:  Type of Visual Material

Filmstrip. Length of film containing a succession of images intended for projection one frame at a time with or without recorded sound.

Motion picture. Series of still pictures on film with or without sound, designed to be projected in rapid succession to produce the optical effect of motion.

Slide. Transparent material on which there is a two-dimensional image, usually held in a mount, and designed for use in a projector or viewer. Modern stereographs, for example, Viewmaster reels, are included here.

Transparency. Transparent material on which a still image is recorded. Transparencies are designed for use with an overhead projector or a light box. X-rays are coded as transparencies.

Videorecording. Recording on which visual images, usually in motion and accompanied by sound, have been registered. Videorecordings are designed for playback by means of a television receiver or monitor.

Art original. Original two-dimensional art works created directly by an artist, not for reproductions of such works. Use for original collages, drawings, or paintings.

Art reproduction. Two-dimensional mechanically reproduced copies of an art work, usually one of a commercial edition. Use for art prints, study prints, lithographs, engravings, etchings, and woodcuts.

Picture. Two-dimensional visual representations accessible to the unaided eye and usually on an opaque backing. Use if a more specific category is not appropriate. Use for posters, postcards, radiographs, photographs, photoprints, photonegatives, or stereograph cards.

Graphic. Use for rare, historic, or original graphic material cataloged under rare and archival descriptive conventions. Use in place of a, c, i, l, n, o, s, and t if descriptive cataloging is based on conventions other than AACR1, AACR2, or RDA alone.

Technical drawing. Architectural renderings, blueprints, cross sections, details, diagrams, elevations, perspectives, plans, and working plans made for use in an engineering or other technical context.

Chart. Opaque sheets that present data in either graphic or tabular form; graphic and tabular wall charts, flip charts, or calendars.

Flash card. Cards or other opaque materials printed with words, numerals, or pictures and designed for rapid display. Activity cards are included in this category.

Art original. Original three-dimensional art objects created directly by an artist, not for reproductions of such works. Use for original sculptures and statues.

Art reproduction. Three-dimensional mechanically reproduced copies of an art work usually one of a commercial edition. Use for reproductions of sculptures and statues.

Diorama. Three-dimensional representations of scenes created by placing objects or figures in front of two-dimensional backgrounds.

Game. Items or sets of items designed for play according to prescribed rules and intended for recreation or instruction. Includes puzzles and simulations.

Microscope slide. Transparent, usually glass, mounts containing a minute object to be viewed through a microscope or microprojector.

Model. Three-dimensional representations of real things or imagined objects, either of the exact size of the original or to scale. A model may or may not be operational. Use for mock-ups.

Realia. All naturally occurring objects and any other three-dimensional item made or modified by humans that does not fit into any of the other categories. Use for machines, stitchery, clothing, rubber stamps, templates, pattern stencils, alphabets for lettering, shapes for flow charts, jewelry, pottery, musical instruments, fabrics, tools, utensils, sea shells, rocks, holograms, and furniture.

Toy. Material objects for children or others to play with, often an imitation of some familiar object (e.g., a plaything or something contrived for amusement rather than for practical use). Use for puppets.

Kit. Mixture of components from two or more categories (i.e., sound recordings, maps, filmstrips, etc.), no one of which is identifiable as the primary constituent of the item. Also includes the packages of material called laboratory kits, and packages of assorted materials, such as a set of K-12 social studies curriculum material (all books, workbooks, guides, activities, etc.) or packages of educational test materials (tests, answer sheets, scoring guides, score charts, interpretative manuals, etc.).

Other. Types of materials not in the preceding lists, including computer-produced graphics, duplication masters, transparency masters, spirit masters, and garment patterns. Use code r for most other three-dimensional miscellany.