If there seems to be a question, where the masthead, front cover, etc. carry
different title-looking information, I look for a paragraph, often at the
bottom of the contents page, but sometimes buried near the bottom of another
early page, that begins, for example:  FORTUNE, ISSN (number) is published
biweekly, etc. etc. by Time, Inc.  and goes on to list the publisher &
officers, subscription information, etc.
        Sorry I can't think of the official term for it, but THAT title is
the one that counts.  As far as I know.

-----Original Message-----
From: Arnold, Teresa [mailto:ArnoldT@EXCEN.LIBRARY.PHILA.GOV]
Sent: Friday, July 12, 2002 2:49 PM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: Determining the title of a piece

Hello all,

Can anyone tell me if there is one spot in a serial that carries the most
weight when determining the actual title?  With monographs, I know the title
page is the most significant place in the piece to determine what the title
actually is--regardless of what is printed on the cover, the spine, etc.  I
am less familiar with the rules for serials, and generally, I have been
looking at everything--the cover, table of contents, the masthead, how the
editor or publisher refers to the title in their notes, etc.

I'm not a cataloger, and am not responsible for making the changes in our
bib records, but this info would be helpful to me when processing our
endless stream of title changes.
Thanks,

Teresa

Teresa Arnold
Serials Librarian

The Free Library of Philadelphia
Serials Section
arnoldt@library.phila.gov
2000 Hamilton Street - LL                              phone:  215-686-5391
Philadelphia, PA 19130                                   fax:  215-686-5419