Modeling of Serials

Abstract:This work examines the modeling of serial publications in Anglo-American cataloging practice from the cataloging codes of the nineteenth century to the IFLA Library Reference Model, focusing on the challenges and implications of the various models. Its coverage moves from the models implicit in earlier cataloging codes, through the explicit models extracted from catalog records in the late twentieth century, to current models that attempt to align with models in neighboring domains. Some complementary and competing models from outside of library cataloging are also included. Then, it addresses the evolving impact of online serials and their displacement of their print analogs as a "canonical" version. It, then, finishes with a modest proposal for realigning the modeling of serials with that of other bibliographic resources.