Introduction Remote Access Electronic Serials Cataloging
- Ronald Flewellen
Remote access electronic serials are serials available via the Internet (online) and other networks. This is in contrast to a direct access electronic resource which is issued on a physical carrier such as CD-ROM, diskette or USB flash drive.
Electronic serials are either ‘born-digital’ (the serial is originally published online) or are reproductions, republications, or simultaneous editions of print titles. A ‘born digital’ serial may also be issued in print. ‘Born-digital’ serials may not contain traditional volume and issue numbering and sometimes the only designation available is the numbering on individual articles.
Many online serials provide an HTML format to enhance online viewing and a PDF format to provide high quality printouts of articles. CONSER policy is to not create separate records for a serial offered in different file formats.
CONSER considered most online serials to be simultaneous versions and created a description reflecting the online manifestation rather than a description reflecting the original.
CONSER continues to follow PCC guidelines for the provider-neutral record approach (description based on one provider manifestation selected by the cataloger and is intended to be used to represent all online manifestations issued by various providers) when creating a separate description for an online serial. The Provider-Neutral Model (PNM), implemented in July 2003, was initially designed for use with AACR2 and subsequently supplemented for RDA. The model/policy focuses on providing a bibliographic description of the serial as issued by the publisher or other original source of the content (such as a scholarly society). The record representing the online manifestation contains information applicable to all manifestations being distributed by all providers. (CCM:31.2.3b)