CONSER Publication Pattern Initiative
Task Force to Explore the Use of a Universal Holdings Record

Background

The idea of a universal holdings record has been discussed and informally explored for several years. With the addition of publication pattern data to CONSER records, the library community acknowledges that certain aspects of holdings are universal. There is also the potential need for a universal holdings record that contains the volumes that have been published, as opposed to those held by any one library. In recent years, the addition of URLs to bibliographic records has also been questioned by some, as the URL is given in a field that is part of the MARC 21 holdings format.

A number of initiatives are underway that call for a serious consideration of the universal holdings record. The current interest in the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR), the need to find better solutions for the cataloging of electronic resources, and the opportunity presented by the upcoming restructuring of the OCLC and RLIN databases to a relational structure are among the most important.

Charge

1. Define a potential universal holdings record in regard to the following:
a. Desired contents
b. Key uses by libraries and others in the community
c. Relationship to FRBR and multiple versions issues
d. Impact on union listing
e. Relation to the bibliographic record (in a non-technical sense)

2. If appropriate, recommend a strategy for its implementation

Time frame: To be determined by the group.

Documents produced by the Task Force

Task Force members:
Diane Hillmann, chair, Cornell (dih1@cornell.edu)
Cecilia Boone, MINITEX (c-boon@umn.edu)
Ed Glazier, RLG (ed_glazier@notes.rlg.org)
Rebecca Guenther, LC (rgue@loc.gov)
Cathy Kellum, OCLC (kellumc@oclc.org)
Margi Mann, OCLC/Western (mannm@oclc.org)
Frieda Rosenberg, UNC-Chapel Hill (Friedat@email.unc.edu)
Sharon Wiles-Young, Lehigh (Slw0@lehigh.edu)
Jean Hirons, LC, ex officio (jhir@loc.gov)

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