CONSER Cataloging
The space is a comprehensive and detailed review of serial cataloging guided by procedures, policies, and protocols established by CONSER (Cooperative Serials Program of the PCC), a division of the Library of Congress and the chief national authority on serial cataloging. CONSER Cataloging spans the entire breadth of serials cataloging from how the nature of serials makes cataloging them uniquely challenging to outlining the structure of the CONSER Standard Record.
The CONSER Standard Record or (CSR) may be briefly defined as a serials bibliographic record fulfilling specific descriptive, transcribing and bibliographic expectations and requirements as outlined by CONSER.
The space reviews the entire breadth of CONSER cataloging beginning with the various ways the nature of serials impact and challenge the cataloging process in Section 1. Section 2 reviews the elements, procedures, processes foundational to the process of describing any serial resource, while Section 3 reviews the constituent parts of the CONSER Standard Record, which is only a record that fully meets CONSER standards for describing a serial resource in the MARC bibliographic record.
The regular issuance of a serial will sometimes include supplements, special issues, indexes, and parts. CONSER has developed special requirements and standards for describing these related works, which are reviewed in Section 4. CONSER procedures and standards for cataloging remote access electronic serials and serials issued in microforms are reviewed in Sections 5 and 6 respectively. It is the nature of serials to undergo one change or another during its life cycle. Some changes are major and require a new description. Others are less impactful but usually will require modifying the bibliographic record in some way. CONSER has established exacting procedures and protocols for navigating these changes, which are reviewed in Section 7. Lastly, Section 8 includes samples of bibliographic records created by PUL staff meeting CONSER cataloging standards for authentication as CONSER Standard Records.
This space contains documentation on CONSER serials cataloging, referencing, and drawing heavily from the CONSER Cataloging Manual CCM, CONSER Editing Guide, and CONSER Policies and Procedures. Viewers will also encounter references to RDA to show that CONSER policies and instructions align with RDA. The section, CONSER Standard Record in MARC, examines the structure of the MARC bibliographic record as required by CONSER descriptive standards and policies to authenticate a serial bibliographic record as CONSER level.