Items arrive in the Serials Cataloging Section in a variety of ways, from: Serials Acquisitions, Monograph Acquisitions, Gifts Office, Gov Docs Section, Mail Addressed to Sercat, and BAS.
From Serials Acquisitions
First pieces received on new serial standing orders.
- These should be accompanied by Advance order printouts which look like the example below.
- These items are searched by copy catalogers, then distributed to copy cataloging or original cataloging shelves.
ORD - ORDERING DATA username
PO#/LINE#: M12260 /0001 VENDOR : BLACKWEL ORDER DATE: 02/04/98
REQUEST #: 980012944 ORDER TYPE: STANDING REQST DATE: 02/04/98
LIBRARY : SER CONDITION : OPEN EST DELVRY: 06/04/98
ISBN/ISSN: 0954-8807 LC CARD # : RECEIVED :
AUTHOR :
TITLE : ReR quarterly
STATUS : Serial,Transferred,On Order
1. VENDOR : BLACKWEL 7. PARTS/CPY: 1 11. UNIT COST: 0.00
2. PAY TYPE : PAY 8. TOTAL CPY: 1 12. DISCOUNT%: 0.000
3. TRANSFER : Y 9. PRIORITY : NRUSH 13. TAX % : 0.000
4. CLM CODE : DFLT 10. CURRENCY : USD 14. ADDED CHG: 0.00
5. REQUESTOR: csmoore 15. CONDITION: OPEN
6. SELECTOR : KAM
16. VENDOR : ordered 950404 direct; no response, so we are now ordering
NOTE : through Blackwell's 980204 kam
ENCUMBERED: 0.00
Options: Enter specified line number
# line Bibliographic Allocation Notes Status Conditions
Vendor inquiry Prior screen ? help Exit
Standing order "TBC" materials.
- These items may be received directly at local library units who then create the new order.
- They should then be sent to Sercat accompanied by a note or form which indicates that they are "TBC," and with Advance order printouts. They are searched by copy catalogers, then distributed to copy cataloging or original cataloging shelves.
Title changes.
- These are accompanied by serform and sometimes Advance printouts.
- These are searched by copy catalogers, then distributed to copy cataloging or original cataloging shelves.
Format changes.
- These are usually accompanied by a serform.
- Named for the slip used to communicate this information, these are essentially questions about pieces received on established standing or blanket orders.
- Serials Check-In asks:
- Is this a new monographic series? If so, what should the entry and treatment be?
- Is this a new serial? Shall we create a "child" record?
- They are completed by a professional cataloger, with principal cataloger providing input
From Monograph Acquisitions
Issues of serials or periodicals for which we do not hold standing orders.
- These are usually accompanied by an Advance printout.
- These are accompanied by Advance printouts and are routed directly to the copy cataloger responsible for handling continuations.
Serial/periodical replacement issues/backorders.
- These are accompanied by Advance printouts.
- After waiting a day for order information to be updated in Barton, they are searched by copy catalogers, holdings are edited if needed and call number labels are added if necessary. They are sent directly on to libraries.
From Gifts Office
To be cataloged (TBC) items, with the exception of standing order TBC’s.
- TBC materials may be serials or periodicals; they may be actual gifts, or issues received free through the mail, or materials found in the corners of divisional libraries and suddenly earmarked for cataloging. The common denominator for all is that they have come at no cost to us. Some, particularly those for periodical back issues, may be associated with newly-placed standing orders. (Non-standing order TBCs are accompanied by yellow "gift" routing slips; searched and distributed to catalogers)
From Government Documents Section
First pieces of new serial/periodical titles.
- Accompanied by "Cataloging Decision Form."
Title/name changes.
Format changes.
Mail Addressed to Sercat
First pieces received on new standing orders.
- These are accompanied by Advance printouts.
- They are searched by copy catalogers, then distributed to copy cataloging or original cataloging shelves.
Questions or problems from the divisional libraries’ processing units.
- They are searched by copy catalogers, then distributed to copy cataloging or original cataloging shelves.
Title changes
- Title changes are routed to Serials Acquisitions. They update the Commitments List, and then return the title changes to the Serials Search shelf, accompanied by serforms.
- They are searched by copy catalogers, then distributed to copy cataloging or original cataloging shelves.
Holdings changes/Deletions.
- These go to the copy cataloger responsible for handling holdings changes and deletions.
From Monograph Catalogers in BAS
Probable serial titles
- Any title which catalogers know to be sercat at MIT; any title catalogers think might be a serial; or, sometimes, a title which a cataloger hopes and prays might be a serial
- Materials received from BAS are usually accompanied by OCLC printouts with monograph cataloger’s initials, and more occasionally with bibliographic records from Advance. Since these materials reach BAS from all points, they carry the appropriate acquisitions slips or printouts, or nothing.
SERMS
- Many, but far from all, of these "SERMS" (titles received on standing order and checked in as monographs) are monographs, but sometimes they do prove to be serials and are cataloged as such.
- SERMS are routed to BAS by Serials Check-In.
Distribution when searched by serial copy catalogers
- Obvious serial continuations are sent directly to the designated copy cataloger
- Serials and items appropriate for handling as serials are searched by copy catalogers, then distributed to copy cataloging or original cataloging shelves
- Monographs are returned to BAS with instructions, such as to "analyze" call number.
***RUSH materials may reach Searcher's shelf from any point described above.
