Re: [RDA-L] Recording Extent, Other Physical Characteristics, and Dimensions for incomplete serials

[Jonathan Rochkind]

For "harder" read also "more expensive".
The same could be said for the time of the cataloger. It doesn't take 
that much time/expense to enter a "blank v.", but it's yet another rule 
the cataloger has to be trained for and remember.  The more rules, the 
more time/expense.  Little things add up. And we've got a LOT of little 
things.

Jonathan Rochkind wrote:
Having the "v." around in a field forces the computer software to have 
an extra rule "Check this field to see if it's nothing but a "v.", and 
if it is don't bother showing it to the user."  (Or of course, you can 
just show it to the user, probably confusing them, which is what most of 
our software does). 

All these rules add up;  actually displaying AACR2/Marc in a sensible 
way to users requires many many special case rules like this. This makes 
software hard to write and hard to maintain. 

Jonathan

Mike Tribby wrote:
  
Again, I think the same could be said of other types of records. On a card, one could simply leave 
a blank area rather than having "v." sitting there unadorned. So I guess I agree with 
Jonathan that it really serves no purpose other than as a placeholder. Perhaps it suggests that the 
serial was in fact printed rather than in some other form and would, therefore, be found in volumes 
in its hard copy form, but that information is also likely to be found elsewhere. We're not going 
to require a 300 $c in the BSR anymore, so perhaps we might as well kill off other fields that are 
no longer necessary. On the other hand in an electronic environment having the "v." 
floating around unfulfilled causes no excess space concerns, although it is useless. As to saving 
entry time, the rule of three and use of abbreviations do that, too, and they're earmarked for the 
scrap heap. There are competing priorities in everything we do.




Mike Tribby
Senior Cataloger
Quality Books Inc.
The Best of America's Independent Presses

mailto:mike.tri...@quality-books.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Resource Description and Access / Resource Description and Access 
[mailto:rd...@listserv.lac-bac.gc.ca] On Behalf Of Jonathan Rochkind
Sent: Thursday, September 23, 2010 1:23 PM
To: RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA
Subject: Re: [RDA-L] Recording Extent, Other Physical Characteristics, and 
Dimensions for incomplete serials

Right... but you don't need a blank "v." there waiting for you in an electronic record, it's easy enough to 
record "2 v." in an electronic record that previously had a blank there. In a printed card, you printed the 
"v." to leave space for you to later write in "2".

In an electronic record, having a subfield with a blank "v." in it adds no value... does 
it? It's just useless information, it might as well be blank, saving entry time and making things a 
lot easier for software (that otherwise has to know to ignore a blank "v.", and not 
bother displaying it to the user, becuase it tells them nothing and is just confusing).  Am I 
missing something?

Jonathan

Mike Tribby wrote:
  
    
As Maxine's post suggested, when a serial does finally publish it's last 
volume, the number of volumes could be recorded in the record whether the 
record is electronic, card, or liquid.




Mike Tribby
Senior Cataloger
Quality Books Inc.
The Best of America's Independent Presses

mailto:mike.tri...@quality-books.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Resource Description and Access / Resource Description and
Access [mailto:rd...@listserv.lac-bac.gc.ca] On Behalf Of Jonathan
Rochkind
Sent: Thursday, September 23, 2010 1:07 PM
To: RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA
Subject: Re: [RDA-L] Recording Extent, Other Physical Characteristics,
and Dimensions for incomplete serials

Aha, that makes sense.... for printing catalog cards.  It makes no sense at all 
in an electronic record that will never become a printed catalog card... does 
it?

MSHERMAN wrote:

    
      
Traditionally, way, way back in the dark ages, when we used catalog
cards, the number of volumes of an open entry was left blank, so that
when the item finally published it's last volume, the librarian could
fill in the actual volumes in the run of the serial.

This should still be true today, but I haven't noticed anyone
actually completing the number of volumes when they close an open
screen on OCLC records.

Maxine Sherman
Cataloger

Cuyahoga County Public Library
Administrative Offices
2111 Snow Road / Parma, OH 44134-2728 p 216.749.9378 / f 216.749.9445

msher...@cuyahogalibrary.org
www.cuyahogalibrary.org

-----Original Message-----
From: Resource Description and Access / Resource Description and
Access [mailto:rd...@listserv.lac-bac.gc.ca] On Behalf Of Jonathan
Rochkind
Sent: Thursday, September 23, 2010 12:45 PM
To: RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA
Subject: Re: [RDA-L] Recording Extent, Other Physical
Characteristics, and Dimensions for incomplete serials

I have never understood why cataloging standards result in:

300 $a v.

Even knowing that stands for "volumes" -- why is this supposed to be
useful?  I get when it says "2 v.".  That's telling you there are two
volumes. But when it just says "v." -- can anyone explain to me what
the

point of this is supposed to be?  Is this supposed to be useful
information somehow, "v." ?

Jonathan




      
        
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