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Introduction | ISSN | Title Information | Title Changes | Table of Contents (Special Formats) | Table of Contents (Top)]
One of the problems integral to the handling of serials of all types is uniquely identifying the title. There are several issues related to this:
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One of the most useful tools for identifying a serial title is the ISSN number. Each title is supposed to have its own unique ISSN number, and where that is available, it is the most useful search key. In addition, it is frequently used by citation databases to provide the "hook to holdings" information, showing whether or not we have the title locally. There are, however, problems associated with the number.
As a result, while the ISSN is extremely important, it may not necessarily resolve our problems.
Also, with a title that exists in both print and electronic format, there may or may not be separate ISSNs for the multiple formats, and if there are, the citation databases may not use both.
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Serials usually have titles reflecting the subject material covered; however, unless the subject material is extremely specific, the title will be fairly general. That increases the likelihood that there will be or will have been another publication with an identical title.
In cataloguing copy, uniform titles (tag 130) are used to uniquely identify each individual work. In NOTIS, we used to transfer this information to a 246 tag, because the manner in which 130 fields indexed caused display problems. In Voyager, we will leave the uniform title in the 130 field.
A uniform title for a serial is created by adding one or more of the following elements to the title proper (the main title):
These same elements are used to help identify the appropriate cataloguing copy to be used.
Cataloguing copy will include the date(s) the title began being published, and if it has ceased publication, the ending date(s).
Current cataloguing practice is to record the first place of publication, and the first publisher. A publisher may move its base of operations, or a title may change publishers, but this information usually does not appear on the record. Since individual issues or volumes will record the information current at the time of publication, what you have in hand may not match the appropriate cataloguing copy.
Different libraries have different policies regarding whether or not a single record is used for all formats of the title (i.e. print and microform; print and electronic). If a separate record is used for each format, then that will be reflected in the uniform title, and in the description of the work. Separate records may also be used for different electronic versions of the same title, with the details appropriate for each version in the different uniform titles and records.
Different libraries also have different policies regarding how fully they catalogue serial titles, and these policies can be reflected in the copy available to us from our different database resources. Some libraries, for example, do not provide subject access in their records.
When selecting appropriate cataloguing copy, it may not be the copy that most closely matches the exact format we are cataloguing, but the fullest version of the record, which is then locally edited to match the format we have. For example, if copy is available for the electronic version we have, but it does not include subject analysis, the copy for the print version may be more appropriate. It may also mean printing out copy for several different versions, and combining the information on our record at the time of cataloguing.
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Current cataloguing practice is to create a new catalogue record whenever the work changes its title. Sometimes the change happens when the subject material covered by the title is revised. Sometimes a publisher decides to split the title into two or more related titles; sometimes two or more related titles are combined into one. Tracking title changes can be as complicated as following some of the most convoluted government body name changes. Unfortunately, when a title change occurs can be open to interpretation.
Normally, current cataloguing practice is not to create a new catalogue record unless the title change occurs in the first five significant words. This allows for room for interpretation. As a result, searching for cataloguing copy involving title changes, you need to make sure that you are selecting records which reflect the same cataloguing decisions. In particular, review the holdings information to make sure that there are no gaps or overlaps between the records.
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Section 11, Part S42
Created Sept. 28, 2001 by E. Read
Page maintained by Elizabeth Read, readel@queensu.ca. Created: Sept. 28, 2001 Updated: 27-Jul-2007 03:19 PM