LTS policy on series tracings
As you know, the Library of Congress implemented a change in its series treatment policies on June 1st. After that date, LC catalogers ceased tracing series statements on most new bibliographic records. (There are a few exceptions.) LC has also stopped creating new series authority records. Series statements are transcribed in new LC records as found on the piece and recorded in a 490 field with a first indicator value of "0" (zero).
After consultation with the Advisory Council for Technical Services (ACTS), the Public Services Executive Committee (PSEC), and the Collection Development Executive Committee (CD-Exec), the LTS Senior Management Team has agreed to the following policy for handling items in series, effectively immediately. Although there will be very little change from what we have been doing since well before LC's announcement, please review what follows. If you have questions, you may ask me or your supervisor.
LC copy and other fastcat copy
Fastcat-eligible copy, whether from LC or from another source, will be handled as before. Only obvious typographic errors in 4XX fields will be corrected. Fastcatters will not change tagging or indicators for 4XX fields, nor will the presence of a 490 0 be a reason to reject an item from fastcat treatment.
Non-fastcat copy
4XX statement should be treated as they are for fastcat, with only obvious typographical errors being corrected.
Original cataloging
If a record is cataloged as PCC, at either the full or the core level, follow PCC policy regarding series. While it is possible that PCC policies will be modified to accommodate more options for series tracings, no changes have been implemented to date. This means that PCC cataloging still involves tracing the series and doing the necessary authority work, including the creation or modification of series authority records (SARs) where appropriate.
For non-PCC original cataloging (full level, MLC, or COR), follow current LC policy for new cataloging. Transcribe the series statement as found in the chief source in a 490 field with first indicator 0. Do not create or modify SARs in these cases.
Post-cataloging series work
On the first Wednesday of each month, DMS runs a program that flips the data in a 490 0 field to an 830 field, making that data traceable as a series. This practice will continue. In the meanwhile, Gary Strawn of Northwestern University is developing a software tool that can compare 490 data with authorized forms of series names and flip them into 830s. This new software and our current program are not mutually exclusive, so they can both be used to complement each other. DMS will continue to monitor and test the software in the coming months.
