Fixed-Length Data Elements
- Ronald Flewellen
Fixed-Length data elements provide coded information about the bibliographic record. Enter the appropriate code, letter, letters or date corresponding to the information for each data element. Completion of some data elements with the appropriate code, letter or letters and or or date is required to validate the record as CSR. Other data elements are optional but recommended.
The figure below is the completed fixed-length data element fields for a CONSER authenticated record. Type, BLvl, S/L, Conf, Freq, Regl, DtSt, Lang, and Ctry must contain some value or code to validate the record. Other fields while required for CONSER authenticated are not required to validate the record. Ceratin fields like Type and BLvl require specific values while the choice of value or code for fields like Freq and Lang depends or the resource. Fields or elements ELvl and Srce must be blank to validate a record as CONSER. The field or element GPub is blank becasue the resource is not a governement issued resource.
The beginning and ending dates of publication contain the complete or partial chronological dates of the serial. Dates used are based on the chronological designation from field 362 (formatted or unformatted) or, when no chronological designation is given in field 362, from the date of publication in field 260. In a few cases, the beginning/ending dates may be based on information given in a 5XX note. Give an exact date when available, even when the certainty of the date is questioned. (DATES: 19uu,1978 362 1# Ceased with 1978?)
Beginning date. Always input four characters, whether or not the exact beginning date is known. Ending date and the publication status. The ending date contains four digits which depend on the publication status of the serial. When the status is current (code "c"), the ending data need not be input on OCLC because it defaults to "9999". When the status is dead (code "d"), input a complete or incomplete date (as explained below). When the status is unknown (code "u"), input "uuuu." (CEGLeader/06/08pg9)
