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To emphasize, information readily in hand is not the same as the issue in hand. In CONSER, whether an element should be expressed in the ceased record, to what extent, and in what manner depends on which of three categories of information or source of information is available to the cataloger.
⮚The Last issue is in Hand. This situation allows the complete description of the ceased title/record as each of the elements CONSER categorizes as Mandatory and Required to be fully represented in the bibliographic record based on first-hand or verifiable information.
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588 1# $a Vol. 4, no. 5 (May 1990).
⮚The Last issue is known, but not in Hand. This enables a less-than-complete description of the ceased title/record as some of the elements CONSER categorized as Mandatory and Required could be based on information ascertained from sources other than the issue in hand and the representation of those elements in the bibliographic record may lack the level of precision or fullness possible when the last issue is in hand.
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588 1# $a No. 10, published in 2011.
⮚The year of last issue known, but not exact issue. (CCM:8.6)
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588 1# $a Vol. 7, no. 4 (Apr. 1985).
⮚The Last issue is not known. This enables the least complete description of the ceased title/record as some of the elements CONSER categorized as Mandatory will be represented in the bibliographic record based on information ascertained from sources other than the issue in hand and some of the elements CONSER categorized as Required will be omitted altogether. When the last issue is unknown (cannot be ascertained), CONSER practice is to omit a ceased Date of Publication (362), the ending publication date (264c), and the physical extent (300a). However, the letter d is Mandatory in the Publication Status (008/06) and an Ending date (008/11-14) is also Mandatory (e.g. 19uu-19uu). (CCM: 21.3)