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Forwarded on behalf of: 

Beacher Wiggins                                  
Director for Acquisitions & Bibliographic Access 
Library of Congress                              
101 Independence Avenue, Southeast               
Washington, D.C.  20540                          
TEL (202) 707-5137  FAX (202) 707-6269           
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On June 1, 2006, the Library of Congress will implement its decision not to create/update series authority records and not to provide controlled series access points in its bibliographic records for resources in series.

With the exception of those categories listed below, LC will create bibliographic records for all resources in series and assign "classed separately" call numbers (i.e., a specific call number appropriate to the topic of each resource).

In newly-created bibliographic records for LC original cataloging (040 $a is solely "DLC"), the series statement will be given in a 490 0# field.  LC will not use the 042 "pcc" code in any record for a monograph or integrating resource.

In newly-created CIP-partnered cataloging, in PCC member copy used for cataloging, and in non-PCC copy cataloging, existing series statements/access points will be accepted as is and "passed through."   If the other library's call number is a "collected set" call number (i.e., series numbering included at end of subfield $b), that call number will be retained in the record as a 050 14 field.

LC's revised decision to "pass through" series access points when found on records used for copy cataloging will significantly reduce the number of situations when an LC-issued record without series access points might overlay a record in OCLC that has series access points.  However, OCLC is still investigating the issue of how to protect controlled series information in the following situations:  (1)  when LC distributes a new version of an LC record with a 490 0 series statement and the OCLC version has been enhanced, or (2) when there may be an existing WorldCat record with controlled series information for the same title for which LC has done original cataloging.

Series bibliographic maintenance will be restricted to adding or correcting series statements (490 0#); controlled access points (440/8XX fields) won't be added or modified.

The PCC Policy Committee has announced that the PCC series policy remains unchanged.

The Library of Congress will continue to delete duplicate series authority records reported by PCC participants and by other libraries.  LC will continue (1) to answer questions for PCC participants creating and updating series authority records and (2) to process error reports and answer questions from other libraries if doing so doesn't involve research, e.g., retrieving resources from the Collections.

LC is prepared to continue to coordinate and conduct series training for PCC participants; LC and the PCC Steering Committee will be discussing this topic.

Revisions of the four "basic" Library of Congress Rule Interpretations (for rules 1.6, 13.3, 21.30L, and 26.5A) are being posted at http://www.loc.gov/catdir/.  Other documentation, revised during June, will also be posted there and will be included in the November update of Cataloger's Desktop, etc.

For more information (including the codes in 040 and 042 fields), see the PCC series FAQ  http://www.loc.gov/catdir/pcc/bibco/series-FAQ-may31.pdf 

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Exceptions to the LC series policy to analyze in full and classify separately:

A.   The following categories will not be analyzed and will be classed as a collection; series authority records will not be consulted, created, or updated:

1.  Numbered multipart monographs with all parts lacking analyzable titles
2.  Unnumbered multipart monographs cataloged per "2A cataloging" guidelines ("2A cataloging" is a local LC practice to create a made-up collected set record for an unnumbered multipart monograph, assigning numbers to parts as received) 
3.  Complete editions of collected works of individual composers (classed as M3)
4.  Auction and sales catalogs
5.  Legal multipart monographs identified by LC's Law Library

B.  The following category will not be analyzed and will not be classified; series authority records will not be consulted, created, or updated:

1.  Technical report series identified by LC's Science, Technology, and Business Division or LC's Asian Division and shelved in those divisions

C.   The following categories will be analyzed in full but will be classed as a collection; series authority records will not be consulted, created, or updated:

1.  Scholarly collections of music historical sources eligible to be classed together in M2
2.  "Web access to monographic series" project in LC's Social Sciences Cataloging Division
3.   Microform sets
4.  Proceedings of a single conference published in more than one volume with analyzable volume titles
5.  Legal monographic series and multipart monographs identified by LC's Law Library

Anthony R.D. Franks
Team Leader, Cooperative Cataloging Team
Library of Congress
202-707-2822 (voice)
202-252-2082 (fax)