Rare serials
Updated 10/2018
Table of Contents
Introduction and standards:
Guidelines for most commonly used MARC fields:
Guidelines for rare serials relationships and special topics:
Introduction and scope:
Catalogers on the Rare Books team will be cataloging serials to the standards used by the CAMS Serials & Electronic Resources team. Please refer to the serials documentation for a broader overview of these standards.
The following guidelines are intended to treat special cases related to rare serials, and are intended as a supplement to the serials documentation. Like the books in special collections, rare serials may require more detailed description, such as item-specific information that may aid in identifying individual copies.
The Rare Books Cataloging Team is responsible for cataloging early printed serials (published prior to the 1830s), as well as little magazines and other small-press or historically significant serials from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Cataloging standards
For early printed serials, catalogers should follow the provisions for rare serials as expressed in the RDA CONSER Standard Record (CSR). The CSR provisions for rare materials are closely aligned with the DCRM(S). Elements in DCRM(S) that are not included in the RDA CSR may be applied by rare serials catalogers.
For rare serials published after the 1830s, including 20th century materials, catalogers should apply rules in the CONSER Cataloging Manual (CCM) and CONSER Editing Guide (CEG), as updated to reflect the RDA content standard. As applicable, catalogers can follow the RDA CSR provisions for rare materials, when cataloging modern rare serials.
Guidelines on transcription and punctuation
Use DCRM(S) as the “designated published style manual” in place of the instructions under RDA 1.7.2-1.7.9 for transcribing punctuation, numerals, symbols, abbreviations, etc.
For early printed resources, transcribe numbers expressed as numerals or words as they appear on the source.
245: Title statement
The title and statement of responsibility should be transcribed as they appear on the resource, with the title page serving as the prescribed source of information.
Transcribe acronyms or initialisms of the title proper as other information in field 245, following DCRM(S) guidelines. Record the acronyms in a 246 field for added access.
Example:
245 0 0 ‡a Bonniers litterära magasin :‡b BLM.
246 3 1 ‡a BLM Bonniers litterära magasin
For early printed resources, record all parallel titles appearing on the same source as the title proper in 245 and record also in 246 for access.
Follow DCRM(S) guidelines for transcribing all other title information.
246: Varying Form of Title
Record all variant forms of title in the 246 field, including alternate transcriptions, transpositions, or spellings of the title.
Minor title changes can also be recorded in the 246. Consult the rare books page for further information ontranscription.
Examples are forthcoming.
264: Production, distribution, publication, manufacture, and copyright notice
Generally transcribe all places of publication in the order that they appear on the resource in the 246 ‡a.
Exception: If the places associated with a publisher are too numerous to list, a phrase indicating the number of omitted places may be supplied in square brackets.
If a place of publication is known to be fictitious or incorrect, supply the correction in square brackets.
If the place of publication or distribution changes in a subsequent volume or issue, record the later place of publication in a 500 note.
Example:
264 _ 1 ‡a Wichita, Kansas : ‡b Leonid Press, ‡c 1934-
500 _ _ ‡a Place of publication varies. Issue 8- : Lawrence, Kansas.
Transcribe all publishers’ names as they appear on the resource. If a publisher’s name is known to be fictitious, supply a correction in square brackets.
Transcribe dates of publication of first and last issues as they appear on the resource. If dates appear in Roman numerals, they should be recorded as such, with the Arabic numbers supplied in square brackets.
A 264 _ 3 field for manufacture (i.e. printing) and a 264 _ 2 field for distribution should be recorded if this information appears in the resource in addition to publisher information.
Additional examples are forthcoming.
310/321: Frequency
Current frequency (310) is a core CONSER element, if known. For rare materials, also record former frequency (321), if known.
Example:
310 _ _ ‡a Semiannually, ‡b 1922-
321 _ _ ‡a Quarterly, ‡b 1898-1922.
362: Dates of publication and/or sequential designation
For original records, use the unformatted 362 field with the first indicator of 1.
Record alphabetic/numeric and chronological designation for the first and/or last issue, whether that comes from the item in hand or is confirmed from an external source.
Example:
362 1 _‡a Began with: volume 1, number 1 (January 1977); ceased with: number 11 (December 1982).
For early printed resources, follow DCRM(S) rules for transcribing numbering and dates.
5xx Fields: Copy-specific information for rare serials
For rare serials, record copy-specific information related to: