Penn State University Libraries - Commonwealth Campus Libraries Serials Procedures

The issues surrounding serial holdings are currently so complex that we must ask Commonwealth Campus Libraries to allow all added volumes and added locations maintenance to be taken care of by the Serials Cataloging Team. It would make our lives a lot easier if you could help us, but there are a number of snags and problems that we just can't get around. For example, we list and track serials holdings for every library in 5 different places, including OCLC for Interlibrary Loan purposes. We have tried to come up with workflow solutions that would allow you to at least add volumes, but every time we run into issues that make us realize that such procedures would only create more work for everyone in the long run.

If you have volumes to add for your location (i.e. a MARC holdings record is already in place for your library), please use the online Serial Label Request Form. You can use this form for:

• brand-new items that need both a call number label and a barcode
  
• items that need either a barcode or a call number label
• completely labeled, barcoded items that for some reason or other do not appear in the Cat.

A few days after you send your request, you'll receive (by mail) a print-out of the form you filled out. Some of the information will be highlighted--Serials Catalgoing staff does that to aid the Cat/Marking Team. There will be a barcode and a spine label attached to the print-out.

There may also be handwritten notes at the bottom of the print-out, alerting you to things that need to be withdrawn or moved.  For example, if your library retains only the latest edition of something there will be a note to withdraw the previous one.  If your library keeps the most recent edition in the reference area and shelves the rest in the general collection, there will be a note to transfer the previous edition.

If you are curious whether your label has been printed or not, check the Cat record. If it is still awaiting processing, the call number's home location will be "IN-MARKING," which displays in the Cat as "Material is in the Marking Unit of Cataloging Services." If the call number displays as the proper home location for your library, that means the label is on its way to you.

When titles are new for your location, we ask that you send surrogates with the standard CCL request for Cataloging form. You may, if you'd rather, just write the information on the surrogate. In order to set up your MARC holdings accurately, we need to know the following:

Please write the home location where the item will be housed:

STACKS-MA
REF-DS
PERIOD-GV

If you have a standing order, tell us the starting volume and date of your holdings and write "to date" at the end:

2007-To Date.
v.29 no.3 1998-To Date.
3rd ed. 2000-To Date.

If you plan to keep the only the most recent edition in your reference section and move previous editions to the stacks so that they can circulate, make a note that says:

Latest in Reference

If you plan to retain the latest edition only (or latest 2 years only, current 6 months, etc.), let us know this. Just note:

Latest edition only
Latest 2 years only
Current 6 months only

Sending your serials surrogates directly to our team will get them processed more quickly than if they go to another team first. Simply address them to:

Serials Cataloging Team
126 Paterno Library
University Park, PA 16802-1808

If the delay doesn't matter to you and would rather send all of your surrogates to one place, you may send them to:

Cataloging/Monographs Team
(Surrogates)
126 Paterno Library
University Park, PA 16802-1808

If you send your surrogates to this address, someone in the Monographs Team will sort out the serials as they come across them and refer them on to the Serials Cataloging Team.