Single issues and offprints

The Folger will occasionally acquire single issues of journals or offprints—individual journal articles, bound separately. This most commonly occurs when only one issue or article from a periodical fits our collection development policy, e.g., an issue of an English studies journal focusing on Shakespeare, or an article about ephemera at the Folger in a general journal about ephemera.

In many cases, a flag in these items will indicate how they should be cataloged. When they do not, this page can help determine the best course of action.

Single issues

First, determine whether the entire issue is relevant to Shakespeare and/or Shakespeareana, or to some aspect of the Folger. Consult the collection development policy or the curatorial team if uncertain.

Entire issue relevant

If the majority or all of the issue is devoted to Shakespeare(ana), catalog it as a monograph. This will usually entail original cataloging (although designated "special issues" are sometimes already cataloged separately).

  • If the issue has a special title, enter this in the 245 field as its main title, and add a 772 field (Supplement Parent Entry) for the regular journal title.
  • Add the form subdivision ‡v Periodicals after any subject headings.
  • Time permitting, add a contents note (505 field) or constituent unit entries (774 field) to bring out the individual articles and authors within the volume.

If the serial or series which the item in hand belongs to is not already cataloged, do not catalog it!

One or two articles relevant

If only one or two articles in an issue are relevant to Shakespeare, create an in-analytic record (a record focused on a specific component or part of a larger item) for those articles. (If three or more articles are relevant, treat the entire issue as such and see guidelines above.)

  • Generally, code "a" in LDR/07 to indicate that the article is a monographic component part, i.e., the article is part of a larger item, and is not issued separately (if it is issued separately, you are dealing with an [Single issues and offprints#Offprints|offprint]).
  • Provide a page range in the 300 ‡a. In the 300 ‡b, note only illustrative features of that page range. Record the item's size in the 300 ‡c.
300 pages 35-57 : ‡b illustrations (some color) ; ‡c 23 cm
  • Add the form subdivision ‡v Periodicals after any subject headings.
  • Use the 773 field (Host Item Entry) to indicate the issue in which the articles are found.

The Folger previously cataloged the entire issue under the title of a relevant article, but this practice has been discontinued.

Entire issue not relevant

If a decision has still been made to collect such items despite not having a Shakespeare focus (or if you encounter uncataloged single issues from an earlier time period), follow these steps:

  1. Suppress any accession-level catalog record for the item.
  2. Send the item to the Vertical Files or Curatorial Files.
  3. Leave a note in the suppressed record: "Sent to vertical files or curatorial files". (This phrasing is best, in case items get moved between the two files.)

Offprints

Relevant

Catalog the article as an offprint—not as an "In analytic." See OCLC guidelines for more information.

Not relevant

If a decision has still been made to collect such an item despite not having a Shakespeare focus, follow these steps:

  1. Suppress any accession-level catalog record for the item.
  2. Send the item to the Vertical Files or Curatorial Files.
  3. Leave a note in the record, "Sent to vertical files or curatorial files". (This phrasing is best, in case items get moved between the two files.)