The Alternative Title field is used for holding three different kinds of information:
- Subtitles or longer versions of titles
- Titles that include full or correct spelling of words in the main title
- Other common phrases or titles by which specific maps are known
Subtitles or Longer Versions of Titles
AACR2 defines the alternative titles as being part of the title proper.
Full or Correct Spelling of Titles
Whenever important words in the main title are abbreviated or misspelled, the full or correct versions of these are listed in the alternative title field. For example, the map "A New Map of Nth. Carolina" is given the alternative title of "A New Map of North Carolina." Likewise, "N. & S. Carolina" is given the alternative title "North and South Carolina."
Other Titles by Which the Map is Known
Many prominent or popular maps have become known by common titles that are often different from their formal titles. For example, Herman Moll's 1715 map " A new and exact map of the dominions of the King of Great Britain on ye continent of North America containing Newfoundland, New Scotland, New England, New York, New Jersey, Pensilvania, Maryland, Virginia, and Carolina according to the newest and most exact observations" is much more commonly known as the "Beaver Map" for its inset engraving of a group of beavers hard at work in the creation of Niagara Falls. Another example is the 1808 map "To David Stone and Peter Brown, Esq.: this first actual survey of the state of North Carolina taken by the subscribers is respectfully dedicated by their humble servants, Jona. Price and John Strother." This elaborate title is often abbreviated and the map is referred to as the "Price-Strother Map." Whenever alternative titles are known, they are recorded in this field.