Date: Thu, 18 Sep 1997 08:55:10 -0700
From: Mitch Turitz <turitz@SFSU.EDU>
Subject: Enumeration question

Follow-up to my previous question:

  I want to thank everyone who replied to my enumeration question.
Everyone on Serialist who responded to me seemed pretty much in agreement
with my opinions.  I decided, however, that this was too biased an audience
(even though I agree completely with your opinions) and I needed to look at
some of this a little more objectively (because I work in a collaborative
environment).

  I decided to take an unscientific survey (due to lack of time) of some of
the more widely used serial/periodical indexes in our reference collection
(Reader's Guide, Chem abstracts, CD-ROM indexes, etc.).  To my surprise,
even when searching for foreign language articles, I would find the
references to the articles either with no designator for the enumeration
(e.g.  25:4) or else just the English form (e.g. v.25 no.4 pp14-22) even if
the entire periodical is in a foreign language!  So far, our patrons have
not been complaining about this apparent discrepancy.

  Now for the suprising part:  at our serials meeting, I told the group,
which includes a public services representative who initially objected to
us using the  designator of the original language, all of my findings and
opinions, he no longer objected to us using the language of the original
enumeration, "as long as it does not cause confusion for our patrons."

  So our solution is:  We will put in the enumeration of the original into
our summary holdings and check-in records, until we hear of complaints.
Hopefully, we will not.

  Thanks again for your responses.

-- Mitch

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