CONSER I&A/ISSN Survey Cindy Hepfer 20 Nov 1997 19:57 UTC
Ed. note: Please return answers/comments by December 8 directly to: Regina Reynolds <rrey@loc.gov>, not to SERIALST. -- bml -------------------Original message--------------------- Abstracting and Indexing Information in Serial Bibliographic Records The CONSER Task Force on A&I/ISSN Issues is seeking input from librarians in all kinds of libraries regarding their use of information contained in the MARC 510 field. This field, the Citation/References Note, is used to specify publications in which a serial has been indexed and/or abstracted. The dates of coverage are also included, if these are known. During the 1980s, the CONSER Abstracting and Indexing Coverage Project added abstracting and indexing coverage notes to CONSER serial records in OCLC for [Regina or Jean -- do you know how many?] selected I & A services. Although coverage information for certain A&I services has been regularly maintained and routinely updated, coverage information for many of these services has not. This task force is looking at issues surrounding maintenance and use of the 510 fields, including the fact that with numerous 510 fields, many serial records are reaching the maximum number of allowable characters per record. Thus in order to add new information, such as URLs, to serial records, CONSER catalogers must often delete information from the existing record. To help us with these difficult decisions, members of the task force would be grateful for your replies to the following questions. 1. Does your institution retain the MARC 510 field in serial records when loading them into your online catalog? Y_____ N_____ 1a. If yes, does your institution edit existing information (add/update/delete) in the MARC 510 field? Y_____ N_____ 2. Do you make use of the index/abstract information in MARC fields in CONSER serial records? Y____ N_____ 2a. If yes, then who uses it? Check all that apply: _____collection development staff _____reference staff _____acquisitions staff _____patrons _____other:____________________________ 3. What tools do you prefer to use to locate information concerning index/abstract coverage of serial publications?_________________________________________ 4. Has the presence of outdated or incorrect information in 510 fields been a problem for your institution? Y_____ N_____ 5. If 510 information presently on CONSER records cannot be maintained, would you prefer: _____510s be removed from the records _____510s remain in records even though the information may be incorrect 6. Size limits are an increasing problem in CONSER serial records as new fields are added to record information about online versions. In light of this problem, would you prefer that CONSER: _____add 510s only for those services which cover a title completely _____continue also to add 510s for services which only partially cover a title 7. For what kind of library are you reporting? _____Academic research _____Academic _____Public _____Government _____Community/Junior College _____Corporate _____Medical _____Law _____Theological _____School _____Library Schools _____Other, please indicate:_______________________________________ 8. If you wish to amplify or clarify any of your answers or add additional comments, please do so here:______________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ Please return answers/comments by December 8 directly to: Regina Reynolds National Serials Data Program Library of Congress rrey@loc.gov Thank you. CONSER Task Force on A&I/ISSN Issues Cindy Hepfer, Chair, SUNY Buffalo Cecelia Botero, Florida Mike Esman, National Agricultural Library Jennifer Hechtman, EBSCO Kevin McShane, National Library of Medicine Glenn Patton, OCLC Regina Reynolds, NSDP Jean Hirons, CONSER, ex officio