SCA Task Group on Series Numbering

Background:

In 1999, BIBCO (prompted by concern on the part of many PCC members about the display of series headings in library catalogs) appointed a Working Group on Series Numbering to consider changes to the presentation of series information in bibliographic and authority records and related matters. One of the problems that prompted the formation of this group was the inability of the current generation of library systems to arrange headings for series in order by the series numbering. (Systems arrange series subfield $v alphabetically, rather than numerically.) Among the group's recommendations are the following:

In June 2001, MARBI considered discussion paper 2001-06, which grew out of the report of the BIBCO Working Group. This discussion paper described the problem of the arrangement of series headings, and the current failure of library systems to solve this problem. The discussion paper presented a variety of solutions, most of which called for changes to MARC content designation and implied substantial retrospective conversion of existing machine-readable records.

In the discussion, there was general disfavor for any proposal that called for a change to MARC content designation. Instead, the opinion around the table was that the final solution proposed in the discussion paper--an algorithm for distinguishing captions from numbering that could be implemented by system vendors--should be explored before any change to MARC coding would be considered. It was generally recognized that such an algorithm would not and could not be perfect, able successfully to accommodate all cases; but that an algorithm that captured the majority of the common cases and resulted in no worse an arrangement for the remainder of headings than was already in effect would be good enough. MARBI returned the issue to PCC for the design of such an algorithm.

Charge:

The PCC Policy Committee charges the Standing Committee on Automation Task Group on Series Numbering to investigate ways in which local systems could provide improved displays of series headings, ignoring captions in subfield $v and arranging the numerical portions in numerical order. The outcome of the work of this group will be an algorithm for recognizing and ignoring captions in subfield $v that can be presented to library system vendors in a manner adaptable to each system. The algorithm will be as general as possible; its application to phrase searching, searches in which the numbering of a series is a secondary selection criterion, and aggregate displays of series headings, should all be considered. The report should describe in detail the categories of information found in subfield $v which are to be handled by the algorithm, and should provide a means for identifying those instances of subfield $v to which the algorithm should not be applied.

Time frame

A draft final report is due no later than the SCA meeting at ALA in Atlanta, with the final report to follow no later than the 2002 PCC Operations Committee meeting.

The final report should include the algorithm and supporting materials described above, and describe the work required on the part of library system vendors to implement it