Chris -- Our experience with abbreviated title matches yours.  Anecdotal feedback I've heard is that reference staff have found it useful.  CODEN probably wouldn't hurt as their such unique combinations that it's doubtful you'd get many false drops, but not sure how much it would add.  If there were a relatively easy way to search your transaction logs looking for single-word, 5 character searches you might consider, just to see if there's anyone using it as a search term.  Our CODEN are indexed in an "Other Number" search.

Steve Shadle/Serials Access Librarian  *****  shadle@u.washington.edu
University of Washington Libraries      ***     Phone: (206) 685-3983
Seattle, WA 98195-2900                   *        Fax: (206) 543-0854

On Tue, 6 Feb 2007, Chris Blackman wrote:

> We currently have a local journal title index in our catalog instead of
> scoping, and neither the abbreviated title nor the CODEN are included
> (abbreviated title is indexed in title only, CODEN is not currently indexed at
> all).  I plan on adding the abbreviated title from the 210 field into our
> journal title index since it is so frequently used in the sciences in favor of
> the full title.  I am however not sure about adding the CODEN; Is it even used
> enough in citation to make it worthwhile?
>
> Any thoughts on either CODEN or on abbreviated title?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Chris
>
> --
> Christine W. Blackman
> Catalog Librarian
> Williams College Libraries
> Williamstown, MA  01267
> 413-597-4403
> cblackma@williams.edu
>