Decisions about bibliographic records are made at the NOBLE level, item decisions are made at the library level It's a NOBLE decision on how to represent monographs, serials, series, sets, etc. in the catalog – whether we use a single record for the whole run of a serial or individual records for each edition It's a library decision on how to handle the item in your library – shelving locations, prefixes, suffixes, call numbers, stickers, etc.
Serial records provide cataloging information for the entire run of the serial, and use Parts in items to distinguish between editions for placing holds. Monograph cataloging is more specific, providing full cataloging for each individual edition: cover images, authors, editors, summary, contents, subject headings, etc.
Serial records carry the date of the first edition of the serial, and that date is used to filter and sort search results. In monograph cataloging, the MARC record carries the date for the individual editions.
The bibliographic record describes the serial itself, and the items use Parts to identify the issue.
These are always cataloged as serials, whether or not they are added through Evergreen serials checkin, or whether or not items are added and circulate.
Yearbooks, annals, indexes, or similar works that come out regularly, and that libraries would generally hope to acquire for a long, unbroken run rather than individually. These are generally reference works and local history titles, and new volumes add to a continuing record rather than being an updated replacement to the previous volumes.
Examples:
These categories are cataloged as monographs, with individual bibliographic records for each edition. Monograph records provide specific information about each edition, including the year of publication needed to sort or filter catalog searches, and summary, contents and subject headings that may differ by edition.
These are also known as Replacement Serials.
These are titles that are usually issued annually, where new editions are intended to replace outdated, older editions. These include the following categories: travel guides, college guides, test manuals, job listings, marketplace guides and similar titles.
Examples:
Often issued annually, these are collections of the best plays, short stories, essays, etc., of a particular time period. These should be cataloged as monographs so that they can get individual editor credits and contents notes, and because they are meant to create a record of the best works of a year.
Examples:
A group of standalone works which may or may not have the same author/creator and that are identified as a series by the author or publisher. These may or may not have a defined reading order, and a work may be part of more than one series.
These should be cataloged as monographs with a series entry
Manga and other comics series are often complex. They have traditionally been published with installments coming on a regular (or irregular) basis, often without distinctive titles, although sometimes with titled special issues, similar to magazines. But these comics formats are often republished in other groupings and formats, as well as spinning off additional series with different titles (or sub or series titles) and different numbering, and the writers and artists often change over time.
These categories are cataloged as monographs, with individual bibliographic records for each edition. Monograph records provide more specific information about each edition, including cover images, the year of publication needed to sort or filter catalog searches, and summary, contents and subject headings.
Parts are added to items in any situation where the individual items do not match the full content that is described in the bibliographic record.
For example, the bibliographic record indicated that there are 4 DVDs, but one or more libraries have items that do not include all 4 DVDs. In that case, those items need to have Parts added because the items are not all equivalent, which matters for holds. If a user wants to place a hold on this title, the system will offer options based on the parts: for example, Discs 1-2 and Discs 3-4 (if all items have one or the other of those parts) or Complete Set, Discs 1-2, Discs 3-4 (with Complete Set representing items with no parts. As items with or without parts are added or deleted to the bibliographic, the situation may change. For example, a record may have only items without parts so any item can fill a title hold, until a library adds one or more items with parts.
In addition to the DVD sets, parts are used when a library chooses to circulate any type of material separately – one item for the guidebook, one item for the map, for example, or when a library wants to circulate the remaining part as an item.