Variable Fields Template
The variable fields for the preliminary serial bib record as they appear in the original template:
An example showing required information for variable fields. Delete field 022 if the information is not available. Leave the 300 and 588 fields as they appear in the template; they will be completed during cataloging. Field 588 does not display to the public.
In the following example, the title appeared as: The Manitoba Medical Association Review. The "the" at the beginning of the title is not transcribed when you create a preliminary record manually.
Guidelines for Entering Variable Fields
022 (ISSN): If there, record the ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) in field 022; separate the numbers with a hyphen:
022 __ ‡a 0013-8304
245 00 ‡a (Title) Record the title in field 245. Use value "0" for both indicators.
If the item has been received, transcribe the title as it appears on the title page or, if microfilm, on the container. Do not transcribe initial articles. Do not transcribe diacritical and accent marks-- see the A la pointe example below. Title pages are most frequently found in serials that are issued annually or less frequently, as opposed to periodicals and newsletters."--CONSER Cataloging Manual 3.2.1.a.
"A title page is not a page that contains text, tables of contents, or extensive editorial information, i.e., a page that has been designed to fulfill a different function. The editorial page following the cover in most periodicals is not considered to be a title page."--CONSER Cataloging Manual, 3.2.1.b.
No title page? If the serial lacks a title page as defined above, record the title as it is found on the cover; if the serial lacks a cover, e.g. a newsletter, record the title appearing on the first page.
Capitalizing words. RDA allows you to use the capitalization as found. Unless the publisher presents the title in all caps, take the capitalization as found. If the title is given in all caps, capitalize the first letters of names and the first word of the title, but otherwise use lower-case. The main thing is to accurately transcribe the title; proper capitalization is not high priority.
Generic titles and their Corporate Bodies. For corporate bodies, generally we will rely on keyword rather than headings in preliminary record. If the series title is generic (e.g. Annual report, Bulletin) and connected grammatically to the name of the issuing body (Annual Report of the Yale Acquisitions Department) include the name of the body in the title. If there is no grammatical connection, (Report -- Yale Library Acquisitions Department) enter the name of the body in 245 preceded by a slash (Report / Yale Library Acquisitions Department) or, if appropriate, in 264 $b.
245 00 ‡a Annual report of the Yale Library Acquisitions Department. <no / because the name is part of the title>
245 00 ‡a Annual report / Yale Library Acquisitions Department. <name is not connected to the title> or,
245 00 ‡a Annual report.
264 _1 ‡a New Haven : ‡b Yale Library Acquisitions Department
In 245, leaving off the ‡c after the slash will probably enhance retrieval of the preliminary record.
For order records, base the title on the citation if a sample issue is not available. If more than one sample issue is available, use the earliest issue as your source.
More examples:
245 00 ‡a Annual report of the Northern Regional Production Board.
245 00 ‡a Annual report / Dublin Seminar for New England Folklife.
In the following example, there was no title page, so you go to the cover for your 245 information. The cover has:
|
À la pointe Quarterly Newsletter of the Pointe de l'Eglise Historical and Genealogical Society |
245 00 ‡a A la pointe. <Note that the diacritic (À) is not transcribed. For foreign languages, it may not be clear whether the first word is an article (and should be dropped); when in doubt check with your supervisor or someone familiar with the language. The subtitle appears on the issue but does not need to be transcribed in ‡b. Instead, record the name of the society in
264 _1 ‡a Pointe de l'Eglise : ‡b Pointe de l'Eglise Historical and Genealogical Society
Variant titles can be useful while the serial is on order. If the title appears both in full and abbreviated form on the title page or its substitute, or in the citation used for ordering, record the full form in 245 ‡a and record the abbreviated form in 246 1_. Use the same pattern for order records if both forms are cited.
245 00 ‡a Journal of essential oil research.
246 1_ ‡a JEOR
If a year is included as part of the title on the item in hand, do not include the year in 245.
On item: 2004 Report for the year. State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological Survey.
245 00 ‡a Report for the year / State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological Survey
In the example above, if the heading had not been established, you would generally record the issuing body in 245 ‡c (government bodies have complex rules for determining the heading; no need to get mired in them).
Use of format type in square brackets (formerly called the GMD) is no longer used in cataloging. If the microform template is used, there will be sufficient information to identify the item as microfilm.
246 (Varying Form of Title). Access for variant titles is important to avoid the creation of duplicate order records.
Create field 246 in the following situations for items received. Note that 246 does not use a period at the end of the field. The indicators for 246 used to be quite complicated; currently 246 1_ is used for all variants except for parallel titles (i.e., the title in different languages), where 246 11 is now used.
Variant access fields are optional for items received if the serial is processed for priority cataloging.
Creating variant access if known is required for order records. Use the guidelines for items received to determine scope; some cases (difference between cover and editorial page) are not strictly applicable but could be applied to significant variations in citations.
a. If the title appears in full and abbreviated form (see example in the preceding section).
b. If the title recorded in field 245 ‡a is in English and contains an ampersand (&), create a 246 field with the word "and" in place of the ampersand, using indicators as shown.
Issue has: Rock & Pop.
245 00 ‡a Rock & Pop. <or, Rock & pop>
246 1_ ‡a Rock and Pop <or, Rock and pop>
250 (Edition)
Leave the indicators in field 250 blank. If the edition information on the issue is transcribed in 250, transcribe it as found; only abbreviate if the abbreviation is actually used on the issue (mandatory abbreviation was a feature of the superseded AACR2 rules). Field 250 should always end with a period.
For serials, "edition" can be used to distinguish among different sets of serials with similar content but different scope or audience: "Midwestern edition" vs. "East Coast edition"; "English language edition" vs. "German language edition" This type of edition is entered in 250.
250 __ ‡a Ohio edition.
250 __ ‡a English ed.
However, if "edition" is associated with numbering, it would be entered as part of field 362 (rarely necessary for preliminary records; see the next page). Examples of edition used as numbering: "1990 1st ed." ; "Edition 10,"