Coding electronic serials Jean L. Hirons 17 Feb 1998 21:17 UTC
Dear CONSER and serial colleagues, By now you will have seen the document "Cataloging Electronic Resources OCLC-MARC Coding Guidelines" that was sent to various lists by Rich Green and forwarded to CONSRLST. These guidelines mean that CONSER libraries can now begin to use the revised definition of leader code "m" which will result in CONSER being able to resume using the serials format for most of our electronic serials! Applying OCLC's guidelines will require the use of the computer file field 006 when a record is created for an electronic resource in the serials format. This should not be a problem because this is the same data that we have been ocding in the 008 on computer file records. The guidelines also make it possible to optionally use field 007 in a print record when the single record option is being used. The lack of the computer file 006 in the record makes it clear to OCLC that the record is not primarily for an electronic resource. The same would be true for accompanying material. Bill and I will be revising the CONSER Editing Guide and CONSER Cataloging Manual for the spring updates. We are not currently planning to issue any advance documentation, but I'm open on that subject. Basically, the changes in our current policy are as follows: 1. We will now have to determine a primary format when cataloging a computer file. The majority of serials are textual in nature and will be cataloged using the serials format. However, those that are primarily software will be cataloged as computer files using leader/06 m' and the computer file format. Other types of non-print serials (e.g., cartographic, sound recording, etc.) are not affected by the redefinition of code m'. 2. When cataloging an electronic resource that is primarily textual: use type code a' and bib level code s' (i.e, the serials format on OCLC). Also input fields 006 and 007 for the computer file characteristics. 3. When noting an electronic resource on the record for the print using the single record option, you now have the option of also giving field 007 for the computer file. But DO NOT give field 006. These guidelines can be implemented immediately for new records. I understand that Robert Bremer will at some point reconvert existing records. Please let me know if you need further instructions. For convenience, I am restating the new definition of code m' that was also contained in the OCLC guidelines and is in USMARC update 3. "Code m' indicates that the content of the record is for the following classes of electronic resources: computer software (including programs, games, fonts), numeric data, computer-oriented multimedia, online systems or services. For these classes of materials, if there is a significant aspect that causes it to fall into another Leader/06 category, code for that significant aspect (e.g., vector data that is cartographic is not coded as numeric but as cartographic). Other classes of electronic resources are coded for their most significant aspect (e.g., language material, graphic, cartographic materials, sound, music, moving image). In case of doubt or if the most significant aspect cannot be determined, consider the item a computer file." Jean Hirons CONSER Coordinator (202) 707-5947 jhir@loc.gov