Are you talking about the acquisition status code? as in union lists?
The "4" is for open entry (currently received), "5" is for a closed
entry, subscription cancelled or ceased publication, and the "0" is for
Information not available. That's according to ANSI Z39.42-1980, and
there have been some more recent standards, but I think these values for
the acquisition status code field are still in use.  I could be wrong --
it's happened before -- can one of you who is more up-to-date give any
further updates?  Back when I was editing our CSU system's union list I
could have answered with far more confidence!

Kathleen Thorne
former editor, Calif. State University system Union List
(editor, "ZCSU Union List of Preferred Practices", 1993 & 2nd ed. 1995)
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kathleen Thorne, Serials Cataloger
San Jose State University, San Jose CA 95192-0028
ph: (408) 924-2826   fax: (408) 924-2702
email: kathleen@email.sjsu.edu

---Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines---
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Frieda Rosenberg wrote:
>
> Charlene,
>
> This is an interesting question because the Receipt Status code should
> certainly be one of the useful responses to a remote query.
> Locally, we are using 4 for currently received items that come through our
> order system (which happens to be III).  We use 1 for the many
> publications that departments receive "direct" bypassing the order system.
> And that's undoubtedly not uniform even across our campus!
>
> The only other definition here that I have ever seen is the one in
> Virginia Tech's Coded Holdings Manual, which I believe in my dim memory
> prescribes 4 for currently received periodicals, 1 for annuals and
> irregulars.
>
> I'd be interested in other uses and so, I think, would many of us.  When
> we think of standardizing the use of this format, the fixed field is
> certainly a good place to start.
>  Frieda
> ----------
> Frieda Rosenberg
> Serials Cataloging
> Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
> friedat@email.unc.edu
>
> On Thu, 1 Jul 1999, Charlene N Simser wrote:
>
> > Hello--
> > Anyone out there using ANSI/NISO Z39.71-199x (or its predecessor
> > Z39.44-1986 for serials):
> >
> > How does your library interpret "Receipt Status" in the holdings 008
> field
> > for web-based products? Do you use "4" for currently received though you
> > have no physical pieces in hand?  Or do you code these as "1" for other
> > receipt status? What uses have you defined for "1"?  We would like to be
> > consistent of our coding of these resources, especially if we use
> > information in that field to generate reports.
> >
> > Thanks for any input.
> > Char
> > ===========
> > Charlene N. Simser
> > Serials Cataloger
> > KSU Libraries
> > Kansas State University
> > Manhattan, KS 66506
> > e-mail: csimser@ksu.edu