University of California, San Diego has begun to add virtual serial holdings
for a limited number of titles.  We are treating them in the "multiple
versions" fashion of describing the print version in the bibliographic record
and adding a "holdings"-type record for the digital text.  In most cases we own
both, but we are using this mechanism even when we have no print issues.  (We
checked with OCLC, who agreed that we could export the bib records without
adding our holdings byte).

So far we have only done ones that require mediation, so the location code is
"Ask at [branch] Ref. Desk" and there is an identity note saying "Electronic
journal" or "Computer files" or something along that line.  As soon as the
programming is finished, we will add location codes for the full text computer
files available through the abstracting & indexing services mounted on the UC
Melvyl database, e.g. MELVYL MAGS.  There will be a little help screen that
pops up to tell people how to access it.

After that we plan to include in the catalog serials (and other documents)
available on our local Infopath gopher.  (Which will probably be something
other than a gopher by the time this happens).

We don't intend to catalog the internet, just those items which emanate
from UCSD or for which we contract for access.

We've just started this project so we can't say yet how well it works.  So far
the problems have not been with the technique but rather with the wording.
Everybody has an opinion on what to call these remote files and no two people
seem to agree!

Crystal Graham
Serials Librarian
University of California, San Diego
cgraham@ucsd.edu