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MARC DISCUSSION PAPER NO. 2021-DP01

DATE: December 22, 2020
REVISED:

NAME: Defining Subfields $y and $z for Incorrect/Canceled ISSNs in Field 490 of the MARC 21 Bibliographic Format

SOURCE: OCLC

SUMMARY: Because descriptive Bibliographic field 490 (Series Statement) is intended for the recording of series data as represented in a manifestation, subfield $y is proposed to enable the recording of invalid ISSNs and subfield $z for canceled ISSNs.

KEYWORDS: Field 490 (BD); ISSN (BD); Series statements (BD); Subfield $y, in field 490 (BD); Incorrect ISSN (BD); Subfield $z, in field 490 (BD); Canceled ISSN (BD)

RELATED: 2008-DP03; 2008-06; 2008-07; 2009-06/2

STATUS/COMMENTS:
12/22/20 – Made available to the MARC community for discussion.

01/27/21 – Results of MARC Advisory Committee discussion: The paper was generally well received by MAC. Some argued that the new subfields would increase work for catalogers by requiring them to investigate an ISSN’s validity or that they would contravene the now well-established intention that field 490 be limited to transcription.  Others welcomed the idea, pointing out that in many systems, ISSN validation would or could be automatically checked.  The discovery that an ISSN is incorrect or canceled can happen at any time and its coding could be corrected whenever that happens as part of standard bibliographic maintenance.  Even in cases where an ISSN was known to be invalid, some catalogers would remove it from field 490 in spite of transcription instructions and record it instead in field 500.  The new subfields would provide for more consistent and clear transcription and indexing.  The inclusion of a new second indicator value to flag that no ISSN validation check has occurred was rejected. It was considered that legacy records would continue to function fine as before; coding of 490 $y and $z would take place only if a subsequent cataloger had the information at their disposal. The paper will return as a proposal.


Discussion Paper No. 2021-DP01: Defining Subfields $y and $z for Incorrect/Canceled ISSNs in Field 490

1. BACKGROUND

Field 490 is currently defined in the Bibliographic format as follows:

Field Definition and Scope
Series statement for a series title.
Field 490 does not serve as a series added entry. When field 490 is used and a series added entry is desired, both the series statement (field 490) and a corresponding series added entry (fields 800-830) are recorded in the bibliographic record.

MARC Bibliographic field 440 (Series Statement/Added Entry-Title) was made obsolete in 2008 (MARC Proposal No. 2008-07) to simplify the series area so that all title series statements would be entered in field 490 (Series Statement) and all title series access points would be entered in field 830 (Series Added Entry - Uniform Title). The proposal was coincidentally intended to resolve the long-standing problem of field 440 being both a descriptive field and a controlled access point. Separating the two functions resulted in a more reliable description and easier maintenance through authority control over time.

At the same time, MARC Proposal No. 2008-06 defined subfield $x (International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)) in the 800, 810, 811, and 830 Series Added Entry fields. The subfield $x holds the ISSN for a serial title given in the title portion of a name/title or uniform title field. The ISSN is an agency-assigned data element. ISSNs are assigned to serial publications by national centers under the auspices of the ISSN Network. Just as these 800-830 fields contain the authorized access point for a series, the subfields $x of each field contain the corresponding assigned ISSN.

In 2009, MARC Proposal No. 2009-06/2 made subfield $x repeatable in field 490 to allow for the recording of ISSNs for the series and for any appropriate subseries.

2. DISCUSSION

With those changes, MARC had clarified the distinction between field 490 as a descriptive field intended for the recording of series data as represented in a manifestation versus fields 800-830 intended as controlled access points. In cases where an ISSN is known to be incorrectly represented in the manifestation (RDA 2.15.1.6), however, the current structure of field 490 allows no distinction between an accurate ISSN and a canceled, invalid, or otherwise incorrect ISSN. Field 490 subfield $x for a correct ISSN needs corresponding subfields for ISSNs known to be incorrect. This would allow proper validation checking of correct ISSNs, exemption of validation checking for incorrect ISSNs, and necessary indexing of both correct and incorrect ISSNs.

Because canceled, invalid, or otherwise incorrect identifiers of many kinds have been assigned to respective subfields $z in a number of 0XX fields, we considered proposing subfield $z alone for field 490. Consistency with ISSN practice in field 022 seemed more important, however, so we propose the definition of subfield $y in field 490 for incorrect ISSNs recorded as represented in a manifestation and subfield $z in field 490 for canceled ISSNs recorded as represented in a manifestation. Just as subfield $x is repeatable in field 490 and subfields $y and $z are repeatable in field 022, we propose that subfields $y and $z in field 490 also be defined as repeatable. The phrase ISSN (incorrect) may be system generated as a display constant for subfield $y and ISSN (canceled) for subfield $z, also in parallel with field 022.

3. PROPOSED CHANGES

In field 490 (Series Statement) of the MARC 21 Bibliographic Format, define two new subfields as follows:

$y - Incorrect ISSN (R)
Incorrect ISSN that has been associated with the continuing resource. Each incorrect ISSN is contained in a separate subfield $y. A canceled ISSN is contained in subfield $z.

Note: The phrase ISSN (incorrect) may be generated for display, associated with the content of subfield $y.

$z - Canceled ISSN (R)
Canceled ISSN that has been associated with the continuing resource. Each canceled ISSN is contained in a separate subfield $z. An incorrect ISSN is contained in subfield $y.

Note: The phrase ISSN (canceled) may be generated for display, associated with the content of subfield $z.

4. EXAMPLES


Example 1:
ISSN printed on cover contains only seven digits; correct ISSN cannot be identified.  [Based on OCLC #35212654 and LCCN n94038138]

490 1   Библиотека Российского этнографа, $y 0868-586
490 1   Biblioteka Rossiĭskogo ėtnografa, $y 0868-586
500     "ISSN 0868-586": page 1 of cover.
830  0  Библиотека Российского этнографа.
830  0  Biblioteka Rossiĭskogo ėtnografa.

Excerpts from the corresponding series authority record:

010     n  94038138 $z no 95050807
130  0  Biblioteka Rossiĭskogo ėtnografa
667  Some publications show on cover: ISSN 0868-586 (omitting X as last digit)
667  ISSN 0868-586X is not a valid ISSN for this publication

Example 2: ISSN substitutes alphabetic "S" for numeric "5" in what would have been the ISSN for a previous title for the series; correct ISSN cannot be identified.  [Based on OCLC #948588556 and LCCN no2012058174]

490 0   Collection Études et recherches sur l'Occident romain - CEROR, $y 0298-S500 ; $v 47
500      ISSN 0298-S500 (incorrect).
830  0  Collection Études et recherches sur l'Occident romain ; $v 47.

Excerpts from the corresponding series authority record:

010     no2012058174
130  0  Collection Études et recherches sur l'Occident romain
667     Issues have incorrect ISSN: 0298-S500 (0298-5500 was the ISSN for an earlier title of this publication).

Example 3: ISSN on resource is known to be incorrect; correct ISSN is known.  [Based on OCLC #992431978, LCCN no2019134960, and LCCN no2004073243]

490 1   SSGM discussion paper, $y 1328-7854 ; $v 2017/4
500      ISSN of series should read 1328-7834.
830  0  State, society and governance in Melanesia discussion paper, $x 1328-7834 ; $v 2017/4.

Excerpts from the corresponding series authority records:

010     no2019134960
022     2209-9476
130  0  DPA discussion paper
530  0  $w r $i Continuation of (work): $a State, society and governance in Melanesia discussion paper
667     ISSN 1328-7854 is incorrect; ISSN 1328-7834 applies to earlier title.
667     ISSN 2209-9476 applies to print version; ISSN 2209-9530 applies to online version.

010     no2004073243
022     1328-7834
130  0  State, society and governance in Melanesia discussion paper
530  0  $w r $i Continued by (work): $a DPA discussion paper

Example 4: ISSN on resource is known to have been canceled.

490 0   Praeger paperbacks, $z 2691-1841 ; $v pps 1

Excerpts from CONSER record for series. [Based on OCLC #1147877358, LCCN 2020200945]

010     2020200945
022 0   0477-9215 $z 2691-1841 $2 1
042     nsdp $a pcc
222  0  Praeger paperbacks
245 00  Praeger paperbacks

5. BIBFRAME DISCUSSION

BIBFRAME differentiates between the statements that ISBD mandates as transcribed from the piece, and a description that is intended for access which usually contains normalized data. BIBFRAME treats transcribed data as statements. The 490 is a transcription field and presumably the canceled, incorrect and valid ISSNs are not all on the piece.   The appropriate place for these additional ISSNs is on the MARC bibliographic (or authority?) record for the series in its 022 field.  The bibliographic record for the manifestation would have a 490 with the transcription of the series information and an 8XX with the authorized access point for the series.  This entry would be linked to the record for the series where the multiple ISSNs can be recorded. 

6. QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

6.1. Has the case for defining a new separate subfield $y in field 490 for the transcription of Incorrect ISSNs been adequately stated?

6.2. Has the case for defining a new separate subfield $z in field 490 for the transcription of Canceled ISSNs been adequately stated?

6.3. Does the proposed solution meet the needs discussed?

6.4. Are there other potential issues that have been overlooked but need to be considered?


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