Unanalyzed multivolume sets

Notes by MARC field

008 field - Generally date type and dates will be multiple, with "9999" as Date 2 for incomplete multi-vols. Use "s" and the date in 260 if all volumes published in same year.

020 field - Give ISBN for the set and for v. 1 only. Generally do not delete existing ISBNs. If additional ISBNs are considered helpful, they may be added.

246 field - Use 246 1B $i whenever you encounter slight differences in title on one or a few of the volumes. For example: $i Vol. 2 has title:$a_________________________

260 field - If the set is complete, close the imprint. See note under 300 about anticipating the completion. See also note about "Variant publishers" below.

300 field - If the set is complete, record the complete holdings in the 300 field even if NYU lacks complete holdings. Do not record in 300 the intended number of volumes if they have not yet been published. NYU's actual holdings will be reflected on item records.

Book jackets, prefaces, etc. may give inaccurate information about completion of a set. Be wary of unverified information from the publisher or in the book. If the completion information is considered important and helpful, it may be recorded in 955 $u, e.g. To be complete in 8 v. (if relevant, give location in $l)

505 field - The contents note should be updated as each new volume arrives. Do not retrieve the older volumes from the stacks for this purpose if information is lacking. Instead, do an incomplete contents note (1^st indicator "1") until we have received all volumes or until all volumes have been published. It is possible to consult RLIN or OCLC for records with more complete contents notes. Use enhanced contents note (with $g, $t, $r) if starting a new contents note. If there are only a few volumes, 505 may be changed to enhanced tagging. If note is already well-established, do not change to enhanced tagging.

Give the volume designation that is found on the item using vernacular abbreviations from Appendix B of AACR2. Use "v." if the item does not have any specific designation preceding the number. Follow precedent if adding a volume to an already-cataloged set.

Separate each distinctive volume title with a "space-hyphen-hyphen-space" in an ISBD contents note. If older punctuation is used in the entire record, it should be retained in the 505. If the punctuation is already mixed on the record, change to ISBD with "space-hyphen-hyphen-space." If the set is not being published in numerical order, put the "space-hyphen-hyphen-space" before each title that is being recorded and leave 4 spaces for any missing volume. If two or more titles are being transcribed for one volume, separate the titles with a "space-semi-colon-space." If there are statements of responsibility for titles within parts, use a slash before statement. Periods should be used after the statement(s) of responsibility if followed by another title in that part. (LC and other libraries are not consistent on this, but basically it is mini-ISBD.). Example: 1. Title / Author -- 2. Title ; Title / Author. Title -- 3. Title -- 5. Title ; Title ; Title --

When some volumes have their own titles and some do not, use the statement "[without special title]" to represent the untitled volumes. (LCRI 2.7B18)

LC uses angle brackets for incomplete information; generally delete the data in angle brackets. NYU's incomplete information will be held in item records.

Notes by topic

Series - 490 fields should list the numbering as it appears on the piece. If we have several numbers in consecutive order, they may be joined with a hyphen. LC uses "etc." following the first number in the 8XX when number is not consecutive; NYU does not follow this practice but rather gives explicit numbering in 4XX. The 490 field should reflect known numbers in the series, not necessarily NYU's holdings.

490 1B The history of Japan ; $v v.8, 12-14, 16

In order to provide access to the individual numbers of the set, 8XXs should be made for any volume numbers in the 4XX field that aren't consecutive.

830 B0 History of Japan ; $v v. 8.
830 B0 History of Japan ; $v v. 12-14.
830 B0 History of Japan ; $v v. 16.

Item records and labelling (v., Bd., T., t., etc.) should reflect what is on the piece and follow abbreviations prescribed in Appendix B of AACR2.

Variant publishers - Frequently a multi-volume work will be issued by various publishers. A change of this sort does not require separate records. In such a case, the imprint area should be based on the first volume issued, or the earliest volume in hand. Variations should be noted in a note:
500 Imprint varies: Berlin : Springer-Verlag, 1986-
500 Vols. 7- have imprint: New York : Macmillan.

If the publication history is extremely complicated, the note may be shortened to:

500 Imprint varies.

If a new publisher reissues earlier volumes in a title, use one record if only one or a few volumes are being added to complete the set. If the new publisher's version overlaps with the initial publisher's and is the bulk of our holdings, there should be a record with the new publisher in 260, etc.

Variant editions - Additions to a multi-volume set, or replacements in a set, may be reproductions or new editions. Generally we will try to keep the set together and not create a new record for individual volumes. If, however, we are ordering a new set in a different edition, there will generally be a new record.

If you are adding or replacing a few volumes of a set that are reprints, reproductions, etc., use a 955 field (circ code, full barcode, note) to record the variant edition, for example:

955	l	BMAIN
	r	31142041078958
	s	1994 printing

When deciding whether or not volumes of a multi-part set are actually of different editions, use the following guidelines:

• For Spanish and Portuguese language imprints (and other languages in which the distinction between "edition" and "printing" is not always clear), assume that various manifestations are printings unless there is a clear indication that a difference exists, e.g. pagination, significant series.
• For materials in all languages, take the presence of such words as "revised", "augmented", etc. as indication of separate editions.
• In case of doubt, assume the volumes are of the same edition.
• If most of a set is of one edition, but a small number of volumes are of other editions, generally use one record.

Publication dates in call number - Always use the date of the earliest volume, normally volume one. If volume 1 is published out of numerical order, use date of earliest volume (that is, date in 008 Date 1).

Unnumbered multi-volumes and numbered multi-volumes lacking labels - If a multi-volume set is unnumbered, do not use brackets on the cataloger-supplied volume number on the t.p. verso. Use brackets in 505 for supplied volume numbers if you are providing a contents note.

If a new multi-volume set is numbered, but the numbering lacks a label (v., pt., t., Bd., etc.) use the following prescribed pattern in English, regardless of the language of the item. For added volumes use the pattern already established.

• v. for 1^st level
• pt. for 2^nd level
• no. for 3^rd level

Multi-vols issued in fascicles - See memo 39 for treatment of multi-vols issued in fascicles.

Volume number for multi-vols within multi-vols - Use set numbering from the main multi-vol on item call numbers rather than the numbering from the sub-multivol. For example, if the five volumes of a multi-vol are tomes 272, 278-279, 287-288 of a larger classed-together and analyzed multi-vol (or series), use t.272, t.278, t.279, t.287, and t.288 in item records and on books.

Barcodes - Each volume in a multi-volume set should have a barcode whether it circulates or 0not.

For further information regarding the receipt and processing of added volumes, standing order unanalyzed, "on order" statuses, etc. please consult the document entitled TSD routing flag.

For an example of a multi-volume record in BobCat, see LCN=10689539.