An overview of the research topics and trends that have appeared over the last five years, Serials Cataloging at the Turn of the Century doesn’t just tell you that there has been a lot of change--that the information environment is something of a chameleon, always beguiling and slipping out of grasp. Instead, it gives you the plain facts on the specific challenges serials catalogers have been facing and how they’re meeting adversity head-on, ready to gain the advantage in the rumble with proliferating information and formats. Comprehensive, resource-packed, and easy-to-digest, Serials Cataloging at the Turn of the Century examines how developments in automation and national standards have broadened the role of the serials cataloger, how an integrated format can lessen the problem with duplicate records in computerized bibliographic utilities, and how CONSER has utilized new technology to facilitate access to serials information. It gives you strategies and cautions that will be useful to your cataloging unit as it prepares for an electronic resources cataloging venture, advice on how to develop an electronic communications network, and important information on: accessing bibliographic information in European online catalogs practical issues and concerns surrounding the cataloging of Internet materials the need for a comprehensive guidebook for cataloging serials that are published in all types of audiovisual formats Canada’s largest information systems management outsourcing company the multiple-version problem of serials nontraditional resources for bibliographic information the consolidation of the CONSER program and the Program for Cooperative Cataloging making the technological infrastructure of a business successful at cataloging and processing items changes in a serial unit’s work flow when a library migrates to an integrated library system Whether you want information on workstation-based cataloging tools, staffing an outsourcing company, ISSN Sweden, resources on AACR2 serials cataloging, or the bibliographic control of serials in special libraries, Serials Cataloging at the Turn of the Century has it all! In fact, it sorts out all the information--neatly and precisely--so that you won’t have to bumble along in confusion, wondering how to navigate through the sea of information, cataloging programs and techniques, and user formats.

In this important and scholarly book nearly two dozen American librarians discuss the difficulties created by AACR2 with regard to bibliographic control and management of serials in libraries.

For application of the most current Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, there is but one standard: Maxwell's Handbook for AACR2. This practical and authoritative cataloging how-to, now in its Fourth Edition, has been completely revised inclusive of the 2003 update to AACR2. Designed to interpret and explain AACR2,Maxwell illustrates and applies the latest cataloging rules to the MARC record for every type of information format. Focusing on the concept of integrating resources, where relevant information may be available in different formats, the revised edition also addresses the Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) and the cataloging needs of electronic books and digital reproductions of physical items such as booksand maps. From books and pamphlets to sound recordings, music, manuscripts, maps,and more, this is the most comprehensive and straightforward guide to interpreting and applying standard cataloging rules. Learn: How and when to apply the rules What has changed in MARC21 coding How the rules help organize descriptive and bibliographic information What are uniform titles for unusual formats or materials How to select access points Extensive updates have resulted in all-new chapters covering cartographic materials, electronic resources, and continuing resources (formerly called serials). Illustrated with over 490 figures, showing actual MARC catalog records, this is the must-have AACR2 guide for catalogers, LIS students, and cataloging instructors.

Serials and continuing resources present a variety of unique challenges in bibliographic management, from special issues and unnumbered supplements to recording the changes that a long-running periodical can experience over time. Easing catalogers through the RDA: Resource Description and Access transition by showing the continuity with past practice, serials cataloging expert Jones frames the practice within the structure of the FRBR and FRAD conceptual models on which RDA is based. With serials’ special considerations in mind, he Explains the familiarities and differences between AACR2 and RDA Demonstrates how serials catalogers’ work fits in the cooperative context of OCLC, CONSER and NACO Presents examples of how RDA records can ultimately engage with the Semantic Web Occasional serials catalogers and specialists alike will find useful advice here as they explore the structure of the new cataloging framework.