Knowledge Base

Purpose

This FAQ documents best practices for cataloging to ensure consistency across CUNY. While formatted as an FAQ for usability, it represents official guidance approved by the OLS Cataloging Policies Task Force.

Introduction

Serials are resources issued in successive parts, usually bearing numbering or chronological designations, and intended to continue indefinitely. Correctly identifying and cataloging serials ensures accurate discovery in Alma and prevents unnecessary duplicate records in the Network Zone.

This guide complements the Bibliographic Records for Serials Policy by providing:

• Field-by-field instructions
• Examples from CONSER and CUNY workflows
• Troubleshooting scenarios for complex cases
• Links to authoritative documentation

1. Determining Whether a Resource Is a Serial

Before cataloging, determine whether the resource is a:

• Serial — Published in successive parts, continuing indefinitely.
• Multipart Monograph — Finite number of volumes; catalog as a monograph set.
• Integrating Resource — Updated by replacing existing content (e.g., loose-leafs, websites).

Decision rules (per CONSER & RDA):

• If the resource has numbering or editions and no known end date, catalog as a serial.
• If the title will be complete after a fixed number of volumes, catalog as a multipart monograph.
• If content is replaced rather than issued, catalog as an integrating resource.

CONSER Module 2: Serial vs. Monograph Decisions

2. MARC Field Reference Table

This table expands on the required fields in the policy, adding CUNY-specific notes, CONSER best practices, and examples.

3. Common Troubleshooting Scenarios

A. Multipart Monograph or Serial?

Scenario: Annual editions of a tax code include volume numbering.

• If each issue replaces the prior, treat as an integrating resource.
• If editions accumulate sequentially, treat as a serial.

Reference: RDA on Mode of Issuance

B. OCLC Record Conflicts

• OCLC often miscodes multipart monographs as serials and vice versa.
• Always confirm:
  • LDR/07 = s for serials
  • 008/06 = correct issuance code
  • Enumeration and frequency match the item in hand.
• If incorrect, locate the correct CONSER record or create a new NZ record.

C. Changing Numbering Systems

Scenario: A journal switches from volume numbering to year-based numbering.

362 0_ $a Vol. 1, no. 1 (Jan. 2010)-v. 5, no. 4 (Dec. 2014).
515 ## $a Beginning with 2015, issues numbered by year.

D. Serial Ceases Publication

1. Update 264/362 with closing dates.
2. Replace 9999 in 008/11–14 with the final publication year.
3. Adjust 300 to reflect the total number of volumes if known.

4. Best Practices for CUNY Workflows

• Always verify the correct CONSER record before linking in Alma’s NZ.
• Include 588 notes consistently to improve end-user discovery. Include subfield $$5 with your library's MARC org code.

5. Annotated Example

Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment

LDR	04013cas a2200781   4500
008	740402c19749999nyuar     b   0   a0eng  
022	0# $a 0092-8682 $l 0092-8682 $2 1 
245	00 $a Current medical diagnosis & treatment. 
300	## $a volumes $b illustrations $c 26 cm 
310	## $a Annual 
362	0# $a 1974-
588	## $a Description based on: 2022/2023 edition.
588	## $a Latest issue consulted: 48th ed. (2009).
650	#0 $a Diagnosis $v Periodicals. 
650	#0 $a Therapeutics $v Periodicals. 

This title is considered a serial, for the following reasons:

• It is issued in frequently updating successive parts. According to RDA, we catalog as a serial if the frequency of the editions is one to two years and sometimes if three or more years apart.
• The issues have numbering, such as the "2025" chronological numbering on the latest issue, for example, as well as "sixty fourth edition" enumeration on the latest issue.
• There is no pre-determined conclusion, meaning there is no end-date when it will stop being published (it's not like we know how many issues they are going to publish in the future).

This bib record describes the serial correctly:

• It describes the "whole" serial, meaning the publication from when it began to now. Therefore, the description is based on the first or earliest issue, as indicated by the 362 field with "1974- " and the list of different editors and publishers in chronological order in the 500 fields that describe how it has changed over the years.
• It describes its publication frequency, in the 310 field with "Annual." This indicates that the title is published once a year.
• It has other MARC fields usually found in serial records, including but not limited to:
  • 022
  • 588
  • 650 $v Periodicals

None of the conditions for creating a new bib record for editions/issues of this title apply:

• There is no significant change in title between issue.
• The media that the resource is has not changed (for instance, it did not change from a CD-ROM to an online resource).
• The edition statement did not change (not just the enumeration for each issue, but an edition statement that reflects a change in the scope of the serial, such as a change from "North American edition" to "North and Central American edition").
• The "mode of issuance" did not change (such as if it is issued in more than one or more parts, the way it is updated, etc.). For example, if the annual serial changes to a multi-volume monograph.