> Date:          Fri, 12 Jan 2001 15:29:10 -0500
> From:          Fernando Gomez <fgomez@CRIBA.EDU.AR>
> Subject:       Historic data on frequency changes
>
> I need to know the detailed publication history of a title. I
> mean, all the variations in frequency or publication pattern
> since the first issue. The problem is not for a specific title,
> but for a large quantity, since we are planning to organize a
> union catalogue of serials. The reason why the complete
> historical data is needed, regardless of the specific
> collection you are cataloguing, has to do with some very
> interesting features of the software we will use. The fact is
> that I need that information, even for those portions of the
> run which are not presently held by the libraries.
>
> It seems to me that this information should be available
> somewhere, ideally in a sufficiently trustable database. I have
> consulted 'ISSN Compact' and 'Ulrichs on Disc', but both of
> them only mention the current frequency of every title.
>
> Does anybody have a suggestion?

This information exists in each title's bibliographic record, in
the 310, 321, and/or 5XX fields, so you could retrieve it from
a database like OCLC or RLIN.

Of course, I don't know whether any serial record ever gets a
detailed publication history since this would require constant
vigilance and communication between the check-in staff and the
catalogers.  The most noticeable ones get documented, of course,
but I'm sure some of the minor changes remain with the check-in
record.

Karen Nadeski

Donahue Group, Inc.
Wethersfield, CT
<k.nadeski@the-spa.com>