Date: Thu, 02 Feb 1995 15:07:50 -0600
From: "Kevin M. Randall" <kmr@NWU.EDU>
Subject: special numbered issues

Another one just came across my desk today, and I hate them:  periodicals
with special numbered issues that are directories, buyers' guides, etc.

With a great many of these things, we catalog the directories, etc. as
separate serials, and often keep only the latest edition.  And for most of
the parent periodicals, it looks like we have been marking the bound volumes
as if nothing is missing--e.g. v.153 is bound as complete, with no note on
the spine or in the holdings record indicating that no.2 is not there
because it is (currently) classified separately or (in the future) no longer
held by the library.  I think that usually the dept. preparing the issues
for binding inserts a sheet at the beginning of the volume or where the
missing issue would be, saying that the issue is cataloged separately.

I was never really happy with this way of handling them.  In a way it's
correct, in that nothing is missing editorial content-wise (why don't the
publishers just call them "supplements", which aren't any more fun but at
least are a lot easier to handle?).  But now that we are trying to implement
ANSI Z39.44 level 4 holdings, I don't know how to deal with the situation.
Perhaps we could code the holdings as level 3 and add a note about what's
missing?

Has anyone come up with a good way of dealing with these?

Thanks.

Kevin M. Randall
Head, Serials Cataloging Section
Northwestern University Library
Evanston, IL   60208-2300

internet: kmr@nwu.edu
   phone: (708) 491-2939
     fax: (708) 491-7637