POLICY NO. 22
MULTIPLE VERSIONS - SAME TITLE IN DIFFERENT FORMATS
(2-06-2002)

SITUATION: The library has the same title in multiple forms such as paper, microform, and/or electronic. How are the multiple versions best expressed in the online catalog?

POLICY:

1. We follow the national standards and create separate bibliographic records and holdings for different physical formats and display them in the OPAC.

2. All formats that are not paper will have the correct subfield h medium in the 245 field so non-paper formats can be identified quickly.

EXCEPTIONS:

1. When all the formats represent the same copy such as backfiles or replacements in another format for a paper original, then only one bibliographic record with separate holdings (MFHD) records would remain the standard practice.

2. For records from aggregator databases, separate records for each aggregator will be maintained although both represent an electronic resource. This will allow unique coverage to be maintained and keeping the records separate will reduce maintenance efforts as these records are updated.

3. Since GPO sometimes follows a different standard and we do not recatalog GPO records, U.S. Federal documents are exempt from the above policy. For GPO materials the location code will be the primary means of determining which formats are available.

4. For materials cataloged between 1993-2002 under the previous policy, we will bring these records into compliance under the new policy as appropriate.

HISTORY:

In 1993, the BPPAG created a policy for non-serial items that followed national standards of having separate bibliographic records for separate formats, but allowed for display of only the bibliographic record for the original in the OPAC with all holdings reflected on it. Since we expected national implementation of a single bibliographic record with multiple holdings (all formats represented), this seemed to be the logical way to resolve concerns about the OPAC display of multiple records and our desire to follow national standards. Also at this point we were looking at primarily a paper vs. microform situation.

For serials, OCLC requires the use of separate bibliographic records for each physical form. However, there have been some major cataloging agencies that have adopted the policy of having one bibliographic copy represent all physical forms of a serial title such as the U.S. Newspaper Project and Government Printing Office. From 1986-2002, the University of Kentucky Libraries followed practice of having one bibliographic record represent all physical forms of a serial title.

Other Bibliographic Policies & Procedures

1. Call numbers for non-book materials (7-8-1999)
3. Printing date for materials (9-21-2000)
4. Copy numbers in holdings or item records (12-14-2000)
5. Minimal level cataloging (2-10-2000)
6. MFHD Records for Serials and Non-Serials Materials (rev. & combined with Policy #17, 3/31/04)
Caption Dictionary (11-7-2002)

7. Withdrawals, lost / missing, and deletions (September 2004)
9. Local notes (2-08-2001)
11. Hierarchy for cataloging sources (9-22-2000)
12. Authority control for the UK Institutional Group (1-05-1995)
13. Mixed media materials (3-29-1994)
14. "Boundwiths": multiple bibliographic records representing one physical piece (2-08-2001)
15. Bibliographic Control & Processing Policies for Non-book Materials (3-18-2002)
18. Language Used in the Enumeration of Multi-volume Works (12-16-1996)
19. Guidelines for OPAC Display of Internet Resources (10-05-2000)
20. Storage Procedures for Updating the Catalog (6-10-2003)
21. Guidelines for the Cataloging of Internet Resources (4-03-2003)
23. Enumeration and Chronology in Item Records (11-19-2003)

This page was last updated 6 October 2004. To comment on this document, send mail to Kate Seago at kseago@email.uky.edu.