2 messages, 57 lines:
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Date:         Mon, 20 Jul 1992 17:00:38 PDT
From:         Mitch Turitz <turitz@SFSUVAX1.SFSU.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Description based on notes

In response to Kathy Bowersox and Margaret Mering:

> At the University of Nebraska, we do not use "Description based on"
> notes in our local catalog under the assumption that it would be
> confusing to the public.  We are curious why other institutions use or
> don't use the "Description based on" notes.   Thanks.

For serials, I believe the reasoning is that you are SUPPOSED to
do the description from the first issue of the publication.  If you
do NOT have the first issue of the publication (in hand) then
you MUST add the note "Description based on" so that when
other catalogers (not necessarily patrons) look at the record,
if there is any discrepancy in what they have and what you have,
it might be attributed to which issue is in hand at the time of
cataloging.  This is a rule which seems to be based more for
shared cataloging with other institutions rather then for
use with the public.

The above opinions are my own.  All the usual disclaimers apply.
"Be proud of your mistakes, they're the only things you can
truly call your own." -- Billy Joel.

**********************************************
* Mitch Turitz, Serials Librarian            *
* San Francisco State University Library     *
* 1630 Holloway Ave., S.F., CA  94132        *
* Voice: (415) 338-7883  FAX: (415) 338-6199 *
* Internet: turitz@sfsu.edu                  *
**********************************************

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Date:         Mon, 20 Jul 1992 17:03:05 CDT
From:         Kevin <KRANDAL@NUACVM.BITNET>
Subject:      Re: Description based on notes
To:           Birdie MacLennan <BMACLENN@UVMVM.BITNET>

We use the "Description based on:" notes here at Northwestern.  They are
in regular 500 fields.  I really can't imagine that they mean anything
important to library users, and have thought about the possibility of
starting to put them into 940 fields (940 is a local field here that doesn't
display in the OPAC).

I think the notes are useful for catalogers; if we happen to later receive
an earlier piece, we'll see that the description may need to be revised.
It's a way of saying something like "when I cataloged this, I knew the
title was such-and-such and the publisher was so-and-so at least as far
back as May 1972."  And it can help in evaluating cataloging copy.

Kevin M. Randall
Head, Serials Cataloging Section
Northwestern University Library