Date: Sun, 14 Sep 1997 16:33:52 -0700
From: Mitch Turitz <turitz@SFSU.EDU>
Subject: Enumeration question

As we are automating our periodical check-in for the first time, I have
been asked to justify why our online records should use the enumeration
(volume and issue designators) of the language of the periodicals instead
of converting everything into the English form (vol., iss., no.).

My argument is that national standards (ANSI, MARC FORMAT FOR HOLDINGS,
NISO, AACR2) say to use the designation that appears on the item itself.
I also feel that a student looking up a German periodical will know that
"Band" or "Bd." means "volume" and not "Bound".  If the student doesn't
know German, they don't want to read the periodical anyway, IMHO.

Our public services librarians seem to feel that our (medium-sized
college) patrons would be confused by anything that is not the English
designation.

I would like to hear opinions from others on this issue.  You may respond
either directly to me or to the list.

Thank you.

Mitch

  _^_                                                 _^_
( ___ )-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-( ___ )
 |   |                                               |   |
 |   |     Mitch Turitz, Serials Librarian           |   |
 |   |     San Francisco State University Library    |   |
 |   |     Internet: turitz@sfsu.edu                 |   |
 |   |     http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~turitz           |   |
 |   |                                               |   |
( ___ )-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-==-( ___ )
   V                                                   V
      "I want to die in my sleep like my grandfather ...
 ... Not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car."