Major/Minor Changes for Serials and Series (RDA Update)

Major/Minor Changes and Workflow 

Staff responsible for adding serial issues to cataloged records. Check with your supervisor if you think the latest issue in hand falls into any of the major or minor changes categories discussed below. Cataloging staff will need to update the current bibliographic record or create a new record. Major/minor changes must be accounted for:

  • to ensure that users are able to retrieve the appropriate serial record based on a given citation
  • to ensure that Acquisitions is able to communicate with vendors using the correct citation

Cataloging staff. Update of the old record or creation of a new record due to major/minor changes should be considered high priority for the reasons cited above.

Serial copy catalogers. If there is a discrepancy between the serial issue to be cataloged and the existing bibliographic source record, decide whether the difference represents a major or minor change.

  • If the change appears to be minor, first check OCLC for an updated record and replace the Orbis record if an updated record is found that accounts for the discrepancy; otherwise, refer the issue and bib. record to a catalog librarian for updating.
  • If the change appears to be major, first check OCLC for a new record; replace the in-process record or import a new record as appropriate.  If no record is found in OCLC, route to a catalog librarian.

Monograph copy catalogers. Changes to the series title will generally be handled by MARS processing. If you happen to notice a discrepancy between the series statement (490) and the series access point (830), and the SAR does not account for it, consult with your supervisor.

Cataloging librarians. Use the checklist to verify whether to update the existing record or create a new record (bibliographic or SAR as appropriate). Note that it is Yale practice not to reclass (e.g. from Old Yale to LC) when a new serial record is created due to a title change. (Cataloging of Serials in the Yale University Library. Section 7A D.2a. Successive entry/rev. 9/14/76: “The new entry uses the same call number as the earlier entry.”)

Effective Date: 
March 3, 2014