Hello there,

I'm a long time rare monographs and maps cataloger that also does the odd serial now and then. And every time they confound me! Right now I'm working on a single issue (no. 12, Nov. 30 to Dec. 7, 1647) for Mercurius pragmaticus (London, England : 1647). Question on 588: I learned in a serials cataloging work that the 588 is a required field in serials, but is that for original records, or also for already existing records that cover the whole run? So, do I still include the 588 for my no. 12 issue in hand, even though the record I found is based on the earliest issue?

Also, I know there are variant spellings for the title proper. Do I make 246 entries for these variant titles, even though I don't have the issue that have them? Which indicators would I use? For monographs I would use 246 3# for variant spelling, but not sure what to for serials. And, while on the topic of titles, do I include the subtitle in the 245? Or make a 500 note on it?

I regularly consult other periodical records (as examples) and the rules in several standards (CONSER, RDA, DCRMS) and I tend get more confused as standards and application tend to vary.

Thanks in advance for your advice and patience. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

-Silvana