---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 4 Jan 1995 10:41:10 GMT
From: WILLIAM C ANDERSON <ANDERSO3@MAIL.LOC.GOV>
Subject: REMOTE ACCESS SERIALS

          From: Regina Reynolds, Head, US ISSN Center (NSDP)
                Les Hawkins, Senior Cataloger, US ISSN Center
                Melissa Beck, CONSER Cataloger, UCLA
                Bill Anderson, CONSER Specialist, LC

          To:  CONSRLST
               EMEDIA
               SERIALST
               VPIEJ-L

          Re:  Multiple versions for remote access serials

          Date: Jan. 3, 1994

               The authors of this posting are associated with various
          institutions in CONSER.  We are considering some of the problems
          associated with cataloging remote access serials and would like
          to generate discussion on the issues described below.  We plan
          future postings to solicit input on various areas of cataloging
          these serials.  Please reply to your listserv.

               How many catalog records should be created for remote access
          serials that appear in multiple electronic versions? What
          criteria should be used for deciding when variations in file
          content, hardware or software requirements, or intellectual
          content necessitate separate records?

               In assigning the ISSN, NSDP has considered World Wide Web
          versions of a title to be separate bibliographic entities from
          plain ASCII versions and has thus created separate records and
          assigned separate ISSN.  This decision is based on the fact that
          World Wide Web documents can link to, or "contain" a variety of
          file types, -- sound, image, video -- as part of a given issue.
          There are also differences in hardware or software requirements.

               What is to be done with other versions that seem to be less
          different?  How do we treat remote access serials that are
          available in different text formatting versions (plain ASCII,
          WordPerfect, and Postscript, for example).

               How many records are necessary to serve the needs of local v
          shared cataloging environments?

               What other suggestions do you have for treating versions of
          remote access serials?