1. Levels of Specificity - 2. Basic Principle - 3. Punctuation

1. Levels of Specificity

Yale policy is to create volume holdings for multipart monographs even if holdings are complete at the time of cataloging. ANSI Level 4 is used:

"Level 4 provides detailed extent of holdings information. The detailed holdings statement may be either itemized or compressed; the detailed holdings statement may be either open or closed. ... If enumeration [is] applicable, the most specific levels (including all hierarchical levels) must be included."* For Yale policy on itemization vs. compression, see Section 4. below. Yale policy for multiparts is that holdings are never left open.

HISTORICAL NOTE: ANSI Level 1 ("no indication of extent of holdings") was used for microform reproductions of complete multipart works and some recon titles. CURRENT PRACTICE: Holdings for single basic bibliographic units (e.g. a single volume monograph) are not recorded. If a single basic bibliographic unit has an accompanying secondary bibliographic unit, holdings are generally not created.

ANSI Level 2 ("general guidance as to the extent of the institutions' holdings") and Level 3 ("summary extent of holdings") are not used.

* Yale holdings are recorded at mixed levels, generally using summary extent when all parts within a range are held, and detailed holdings when parts are incomplete. For workflow purposes, all holdings statements are coded at Level 4. For detailed scope notes on Levels 1-4, see ANSI p. 15.

2. Basic Principle for Recording Extent of Holdings

"When the extent of holdings is explicitly recorded, this standard requires the recording of those pieces held rather than of those pieces not held." (ANSI p. 2, 1.2.4. Pieces Held) See also ANSI p. 26: "Record and display data in a positive sense; that is, emphasize that which is held rather than that which is not."

3. Punctuation

Use prescribed punctuation when recording holdings.

ANSI STANDARDS summary for punctuation and display as applied to multiparts (incorporating Yale option applications and modifications):

  1. Angle brackets. (<2nd ed.>) "Specific extent." Can be used to record edition statements in mixed ed. situations and to clarify format of accompanying material (<sound disc>) Use a blank space before and after the angle brackets. See Section 8, example 8-5a and Section 10c.
  2. Colon (:). "Separates two orders or levels of hierarchical bibliographic units." The hierarchy order should be from higher to lower. Blanks are not used before or after.
  3. Comma (,) denotes a break or a gap in a range
  4. Equal sign (=) "Separates alternative numbering schemes. Blanks are not used before or after the equal sign." Used for multiparts within classed together series. See Section 9, example 9-8.
  5. Forward slash (/) denotes more than 1 bibliographic volume published in 1 physical volume. See Section 9, example 9-5.
  6. Hyphen (-) denotes unbroken range
  7. Plus sign (+). If the option to record accompanying material is used, precede holdings statement for accompanying material with a plus sign. Use a blank on either side of the plus sign. See Section 8, examples 8-5 and 8-6.
  8. Quotation marks. When the name of a unit needs to be recorded, usually in the absence of a part number, the name of the unit is recorded in quotation marks. See Section 9, example 9-9 or Section 8, example 8-5.
  9. Semicolon (;) denotes a nongap break. See Section 5-2.
  10. Caption is transcribed consistently before each appropriate enumeration.
  11. Square brackets are used to enclose supplied enumeration. Blank space before and after square brackets, unless used in conjunction with other punctuation that forbids blank before/after, e.g. equal sign, comma, hyphen, parentheses. See Section 7, example 7-8.
  12. NO SPACE before or after punctuation.
  13. New line (i.e. new 866) for gap or change in enumeration