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Re: Serials with separate sections KRANDAL@NUACVM.BITNET 15 Jan 1992 02:49 UTC

----------------------------Original message----------------------------
In response to Kathi Jakubowski's question:

Northwestern's Science-Engineering Library subscribes to
Electroencephalography & clinical neurophysiology.  We cataloged the
entire serial--which has a "main" section and two "theme" sections--in one
bibliographic record.  Access points (field 246) were added for the section
titles, and a note was also made:  "Theme titles are assigned to 2 vols. each
year:  Evoked potentials, and: Electromyography & motor control."  (My only
problem with notes like this is that it is usually very difficult to keep up
with changes in the publication in order to keep the record up to date.)
Since all sections share one numbering scheme, there is no problem in recording
holdings (the holdings records make no mention of the section titles).  The
"main" title is used on the spines of the bound vols.

We have one section of Journal of radioanalytical and nuclear
chemistry, and it is cataloged separately (probably since we don't have
the other section).  We won't look into revising the cataloging, since
we cancelled our subscription in 1985!

I think the "Electroencephalography..." example is actually one of the easier
series/subseries-type of problems we've run across here.  When there are
different numbering schemes for different sections, *in addition to* the main
numbering scheme, and weird publication schedules, you can get a real
headache.  It would be so nice if publishers would decide to use a *single*
title for a journal (with theme titles used as captions above the contents
listing, if they are even necessary at all), or else totally divorce the
sections from each other.   (Sorry, just had to get my opinion in here; but
I'm sure I speak for at least a few other serials catalogers out there...)

Kevin M. Randall
Head, Serials Cataloging Section
Northwestern University Library