Frequently Asked Questions about Series

PCC Policy on Series

1. What is the PCC policy for series in bibliographic records?
2. What is the PCC policy for series authority records?
3. Can PCC participants and other libraries report duplicate series authority records to LC?
4. Are there any changes in the distribution of series authority records?

Ongoing Support and Series Training

5. Do PCC Secretariat staff and LC catalogers acting as NACO liaisons answer questions from PCC participants about creating and updating SARs?
6. Does LC continue to coordinate and conduct series training for PCC participants?

LC’s Policy for Series in Bibliographic Records and Series Authority Records

7. What is LC's policy for series in bibliographic records?
8. Do LC's bibliographic records with 490 0 series statements overlay other libraries' records with 490 1/8XX fields?
9. What is the coding of already-existing records for monographs, integrating resources, and serials?
10. What is LC's policy for bibliographic file maintenance related to series?
11. What is LC's policy for series authority records?

Exceptions to LC’s Policy Decision for Series

12. What are the exceptions to LC's policy decision for series?

1. What is the PCC policy for series in bibliographic records?
   Transcribing a series statement (MARC 490 field) is mandatory if applicable in a BIBCO record. Tracing the series (using an authorized access point in MARC 8XX field) is optional in a BIBCO record.
   
2. What is the PCC policy for series authority records?
   PCC members exercising the option to trace series in bibliographic records must search the LC/NACO Authority File for authorized forms of series, creating or revising records as necessary. PCC members who do not trace series may limit themselves to transcribing series statements in a BIBCO record in a MARC 490 field.
   
3. Can PCC participants and other libraries report duplicate series authority records?
   YES. PCC participants should report such duplicates to [email protected]. Other libraries should report such duplicates to [email protected]
4. Are there any changes in the distribution of series authority records?
   NO.
   
5. Do PCC Secretariat staff and LC catalogers acting as NACO liaisons answer questions from PCC participants about creating and updating SARs?
   YES.
   
6. Does LC continue to coordinate and conduct series training for PCC participants?
   LC no longer coordinates or conducts series training for PCC participants. PCC series training is now arranged through the PCC Series Review Group at [email protected]. The NACO Series Training materials are freely available.
   
7. What is LC's policy for series in bibliographic records?
   As of June 1, 2006, LC’s policy for series in bibliographic records is to analyze in full, to classify separately, and not to trace. Exceptions to this policy are listed below (see question #14).
   Newly-created bibliographic records for LC original cataloging (040 $a is solely "DLC"): series are given as 490 0#.
   Newly-created bibliographic records for CIP-partnered cataloging (040 $a is XXX/DLC; XXX = partner’s code): existing series statements/access points are accepted as is and "passed through."
   LC CIP record (040 $a is solely "DLC") upgraded in OCLC with series work added or modified is subsequently imported to LC for use as LC upgraded CIP record: existing series statements/access points are accepted as is and "passed through."
   PCC member copy used by LC (040 $a is a single code other than "DLC"; 042 contains "pcc" for monographs/integrating resources and various possible codes for serials): existing series statements/access points are accepted as is and "passed through."
   Non-PCC copy cataloging (040 $a is a single code other than "DLC"; 042 contains "lccopycat"): existing series statements/access points are accepted as is and "passed through."
   LC has modified slightly the definition of its 042 code "lccopycat" to indicate that not all series access points have been validated against the authority file. (Definition is found in MARC Authentication Action Code List.)
   If the other library’s call number is a "collected set" call number (i.e., series numbering included at end of subfield $b), that library’s call number is retained as a 050 14 field. [Also see questions #9 and #10 below.]
   
8. Do LC's bibliographic records with 490 0 series statements overlay other libraries' records with 490 1/8XX fields?
   OCLC has taken actions in several areas that prevent this from happening and that assist in maintaining controlled series access in WorldCat records.
9. What is the coding of existing records created for monographs, integrating resources, and serials before June 1, 2006?
   The existing coding is retained.
   
10. What is LC's policy for bibliographic file maintenance related to series?
    Series statements (490 0#): LC catalogers add or correct series statements.
    Series access points (440/8XX): LC catalogers do not add or correct series access points.
    
11. What is LC’s policy for series authority records?
    LC catalogers do not consult, create, or modify series authority records. Staff in the LC Policy, Training, and Cooperative Programs Division update series authority records only in connection with deleting duplicate records or resolving conflicts with older headings.
    
12. What are the exceptions to LC's policy decision for series?
    Exceptions to the LC series policy to analyze in full and classify separately are documented on DCM M5.6:
    
    1. The following categories are not to be analyzed and are classed as a collection; series authority records will not be consulted, created, or updated:
       1. Numbered multipart monographs with all parts lacking analyzable titles
       2. Unnumbered multipart monographs cataloged per "2A cataloging" guidelines ("2A cataloging" is a local LC practice to create a made-up collected set record for an unnumbered multipart monograph, assigning numbers to parts as received)
       3. Auction and sales catalogs
       4. Legal multipart monographs identified by LC’s Law Library
       5. Numbered monographic series already assigned these treatment decisions prior to June 1, 2006 (issues identified by presence of check-in records in acquisitions units)
    2. The following category is not to be analyzed and is not classified; series authority records are not consulted, created, or updated:
       1. Technical report series identified by LC’s Science, Technology, and Business Division or LC's Asian Division and shelved in those divisions
    3. The following categories are analyzed in full but are classed as a collection; series authority records are not be consulted, created, or updated:
       1. Scholarly collections of music historical sources eligible to be classed together in M2
       2. "Web access to monographic series" project for social science resources
       3. Microform sets
       4. Proceedings of a single conference published in more than one volume with analyzable volume titles
       5. Legal monographic series and multipart monographs identified by LC's Law Library
    4. The following category is analyzed in full: applies to analyzable parts and is classed as a collection; series authority records are not be consulted, created, or updated.
       1. Complete editions of collected works of individual composers (classed as M3)
          
    5. Existing LC shelflist records missing in LC's database now being input to the database: the records reflect the existing series decisions (i.e., presence or absence of controlled series access point: a classed-separately or a classed-as-a collection call number) at the time the resource was cataloged originally.
      

Last updated: Sept. 18, 2024