Jason,

I’m not going to give you the simple answer you maybe hoped to receive :-)

My answer is, think about following established standards for holdings statements. In particular I’d recommend Z39.71 (see more detail at http://www.niso.org/apps/group_public/project/details.php?project_id=38 and note that there is a link to the complete PDF of the standard). Quite frankly the standard can be a slog to read but once you wrap your mind around it, I think you will find it worth considering as a guide to how you represent multi-part item holdings.

There are many other practical sources for information and guidance. One that I use a lot for serials holdings is published by NASIG at http://www.nasig.org/site_page.cfm?pk_association_webpage_menu=311&pk_association_webpage=4195

Written originally by the wonderful Frieda Rosenberg, this is a handy reference.

I could go on and on about the value of adhering to a standard but I won’t. I’ve seen far too many examples of short-sighted thinking on this specific issue. Holdings are one of those things that will come back to haunt you for years if you don’t spend the time to do it well.

Steve