Punctuation, etc.

Use prescribed punctuation when recording holdings.

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

  1. Angle brackets. "Encloses the Specific Extent Note. The opening angle bracket is always preceded by a blank; the closing angle bracket is always followed by a blank." (See Microform and Accompanying Material, 14d.)

    <sound disc>
    <Water-damaged>

  2. Blank space. "Indicates separation of data elements within an area." For our holdings, blank is used in chronology data to separate a month from a day if the month is not abbreviated.

    (1988:June 12)
    (1988:Aug.15)

    NO BLANK SPACE before or after punctuation (except: square and angle brackets)

  3. 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. Note in the second example that the series level is considered the first level of enumeration and is separated from the second level with a colon.

    v.1:no.1:pt.1

    new ser.:v.1

  4. Comma (,) "Indicates a gap in a range of holdings. Blanks are not used before or after the comma."

    1942-1945,
    1953-1955

  5. Equal sign (=) "Separates alternative numbering schemes. Blanks are not used before or after the equal sign." See also 11j. ALTERNATIVE NUMBERING SCHEMES.

    v.2:no.5(1950)=no.11

  6. Forward slash (diagonal) (/) "Indicates combined numbering, combined chronology or non-calendar year chronology data. Blanks are not used before or after the diagonal."

    v.1/5(1960/1965)

  7. Hyphen (-) "Indicates an unbroken range of holdings or open holdings. Blanks are not used before or after the hyphen."

    v.1(1953)-v.5(1957)

  8. Parentheses "separate enumeration and chronology when the data are recorded together. Parentheses are neither preceded nor followed by a blank."

    v.1(1950)

  9. Plus sign (+). "Separates a basic bibliographic unit from a subsequent one or from a secondary bibliographic unit. Blanks are used before and after a plus sign." See example under Quotation marks.
  10. Question mark "indicates unknown digit(s) of a date when either the decade and/or year are not known." No blank before; follow closing question mark with a blank unless used in conjunction with other punctuation that forbids blank before/after, e.g. parentheses.

    195?-197?
    18??

    BUT:

    v.1(19??)-v.8(195?)

  11. Quotation marks. "Encloses the name of a Unit." Precede and follow with blank space. See also example under Microform & Accompanying Material 14d.

    + "Cases" v.1(2000)-v.2(2001) <bound>

  12. Semicolon (;) "indicates a non-gap break," i.e., when an item is not published or a change in numbering occurs. Blanks are not used before or after. Use a line break following the semicolon for clarity.

    v.1(2000)-v.4(2004);
    v.6(2006)

    v.1(1900)-v.4(1904);
    new ser.:1(1905)-new ser.:12(1917);
    new ser.2:v.1(1918)-new ser.2:v.10(1928)

  13. Square brackets "enclose supplied enumeration or chronology data." Blank space before and after square brackets, unless used in conjunction with other punctuation that forbids blank before/after, e.g. equal sign, comma, parentheses. See Section 11, example 11g.

    [Bd.1](2002)

  14. Caption is transcribed consistently before each appropriate enumeration. (YUL)
  15. New line (i.e. new 866/867/868) for gap or change in enumeration (YUL)
Effective Date: 
February 4, 2014