Proposal to Stop Creating Authority Records and Tracing Unnumbered Series --MU Libraries

Following the decision of the Library of Congress to cease tracing and creating authority records for series, the MU Catalog Department took the opportunity to review our procedures and recommend changes (some are described on our related web page).

The first recommendation was to the MERLIN Quality Control Committee that we change the indexing of untraced series statements (MARC tag 490 0_) from a mere keyword to exact title access (virtual tracing), beginning with records created June 1. Keyword access remains. This was approved and implemented.

Our second recommendation needs to be considered by our users (MU Libraries selectors should serve well as surrogate catalog users). This proposal is that we leave unnumbered series "as is" on bibliographic records. In other words, we would stop routinely creating authority records and tracing (searching for and using an official authorized form) for unnumbered series. We would not remove series headings or authority records created by other cataloging departments/agencies.

We perceive that unnumbered series are less used as an access point than numbered series. In most cases, the exact title access already present for series statements would serve us well as it is. There are a few instances when it might reduce access, below, but keyword searching would frequently ameliorate such problems.

In the following examples we would assume there is no series authority record to supply "see," or "see also" references, or authorized forms for unnumbered series. In the first group of examples the "variant" forms would not be present to direct users to the official form. In the second group, the 2 nd title would appear the same as the first even though they are different series.

Titles that change (examples):
Title: Guides for the perplexed
Variant: Continuum's guides to the perplexed

Title: Lorenzo da Ponte Italian library
Variant: Da Ponte Italian library

Title: New York State English Council monographs
Variant: NYSEC monograph


Non-unique titles (examples):
1st title: Modern artists
2nd title: Modern artists ( London , England )

1st title: Gender and history
2nd title: Gender and history (Palgrave Macmillan (Firm))

1st title: Historic lives
2nd title: Historic lives ( London , England )

Mostly only Library of Congress catalog records lack tracings. However, many NACO (Name Authority Cooperative Program) libraries will continue to trace series and create authority records, even for series on LC cataloged records, and one MERLIN library plans to continue tracing and creating authority records for all series encountered.

This proposed change would reduce our authority maintenance workload and routine searching in an area that we perceive would not greatly degrade access. It would enable our staff to focus more on creating catalog records.

Please use whatever means appropriate to gather and communicate to us the thoughts and opinions of MU Libraries selectors regarding the likelihood that our library clientele would be greatly disadvantaged by the implementation of this proposal.