-------- Original Message --------
Subject: USMARC coding predictions patterns
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 15:29:26 +0100
From: Francoise Rondeau <rondeau@sceb.ucl.ac.be>
Reply-To: rondeau@sceb.ucl.ac.be
Organization: http://www.ucl.ac.be

Dear all,

We're an european University. Last year we began to use USMARC for
coding the prediction of our serials. But, with only the MARC
documentation (and no experiment), we
have a few problems :

The combined numbers
We understand very well that, with the $y subfield, we can code the
regularity to say to the system when the issues appear, but, the
chronology codes definition to use are : d (day), m (month), s (season),
w (week). We don't see a code definition for "number".
And, in Europe, a lot of serials are published regularly irregular ...

- What can we do, for example, if we have : a monthly, doesn't be
published in July and August, combined numbers in June and September. 12
numbers/year but 10 issues.
1, Jan
2, Feb
3, March
4, April
5, May
6/7, June/July (published in June)
8/9, Aug/Sept (published in September)
10, oct
11, nov
12, dec

This pattern : $u 10    $w m    $y pm1,2,3,4,5,6/7,8/9,10,11,12
combine very well the months, but not the numbers it gives us :
1, Jan
2, Feb
3, March
4, April
5, May
6, June/July (in place of 6/7)
7, Aug/Sept  (in place of 8/9)
8, oct (in place of 10)
9, nov (in place of 11)
10, dec, (in place of 12),
wich is the prediction for a 10 issues with 10 numbers ... (this could
occur too, see second question)
And, is there another way to explain the system that numbers 6/7 are
combined (months too) and 8/9 in the same way but that the published
dates are
the one in June and the second in September ?

- For a similar serial (monthly, 10 numbers/year, 10 issues) who have
combined months but not combined numbers :
1, Jan
2, Feb
3, March
4, April
5, May
6 June/July (published in June)
7 Aug/Sept (published in September)
8, oct
9, nov
10, dec

What for a 853 can we code ?

Thank you very much for any help.
Francoise

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Francoise Rondeau
UCL
Service central des bibliotheques
Documentaliste
1 Pl. de l'Universite
B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
Belgique
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