Description/Instructions

The beginning and ending dates of publication contain the complete or partial chronological dates of the serial.  Dates used are based on the chronological designation from field 362 (formatted or unformatted) or, when no chronological designation is given in field 362, from the date of publication in field 260.  In a few cases, the beginning/endings dates may be based on information given in a 5XX note.  Do not input a complete date (e.g., 1994 rather than 199u) unless that date is given somewhere in the record.

DEFAULT CODE (Beginning date):  none

DEFAULT CODE (Ending date):  9999

Editing instructions

1.   Beginning date.

Always input four characters, whether or not the exact beginning date is known.

2.   Ending date and the publication status.

The ending date contains four digits which depend on the publication status of the serial.  When the status is current (code "c"), the ending data need not be input on OCLC because it defaults to "9999".  When the status is dead (code "d"), input a complete or incomplete date (as explained below).  When the status is unknown (code "u"), input "uuuu."

3.   Form of date.

When the exact date is not known, give the date to the closest century or decade, using the letter "u" for the unknown portion.  If the date is totally unknown, use "uuuu."

Decade known; exact year unknown

Input as:  198u

Century known; exact decade and year unknown

Input as:  19uu

Century unknown (date completely unknown)

Input as:  uuuu

Give an exact date when available, even when the certainty of the date is questioned.

DATES:  19uu,1978

362 1# Ceased with 1978?

4.   Source of date:  362 or 260.

Beginning/ending dates are most often based on dates given in 362, or the information given in subfield $c of field 260.

DATES:  1984,9999

362 0# Vol. 3, no. 2 (Feb. 1984)-

DATES:  1982,9999

260 ## $c 1982-

362 0# 1-

[Serial lacks a chronological designation; publication date is only date available.]

If the exact beginning date is unknown and a "Description based on" note is input rather than field 362, do not use the date given in the "Description based on" note as the beginning date.  Input the date to the closest known decade or century by using the letter "u" for the unknown portion.  (NOTE:  If the exact year but not the month or day can be determined for a publication issued more than once a year, input the full date.)

DATES:  197u,9999

500 ## Description based on: Vol. 2, no. 2 (Feb. 1976).

DATES:  1982,9999

362 1# Began in 1982.

500 ## Description based on: No. 3 (Jan. 21, 1982).

[Publication is issued weekly.]

DATES:  uuuu,9999

500 ## Description based on: FY 2000.

[Beginning year unknown.]

When both a chronological designation (field 362) and a publication date (field 260, subfield $c) are input, always use the chronological designation in this element.

DATES:  1975,9999

260 ## Boston : $b Houghton Mifflin, $c 1976-

362 0# Vol. 1, no. 1 (Apr. 1975)-

5.   Source of date:  5XX.

When a publication is not issued in chronological sequence (no. 1 is issued after no. 2), input the earlier date (the date of issue no. 2) in the fixed field.  In this case, the fixed field beginning date is based on a note instead of field 362 or 260.

DATES:  1979,9999

260 ## $c 1980-

362 0# No. 1 (1980)-

515 ## No. 2 issued in 1979.

6.   Source of date:  special instructions.

When the chronological designation input in field 362 covers more than one year or a span of years, use the latest year.

DATES:  1978,9999

362 0# 1977/1978-

DATES:  1982,1985

362 0# 1978-1982-1984-1985

The beginning date reflects the date when the publication started on a regular basis, not the date of a "preview" or "sample" issue.

DATES:  1973,9999

362 0# Mar. 1973-

515 ## Preceded by a "Preview edition" dated Oct. 1971.

7.   Special instructions.

Reproductions.  When cataloging a regular-print reprint or photoreproduction, input the beginning and ending dates of the original.  Do not input the beginning and ending dates of the reprint or reproduction.

DATES:  1898,9999

362 0# No. 1 (June 1898)-

533 ## Microfilm. $m 1902-. $b Washington, D.C. : $c Library of Congress Preservation Microfilming Program : Available from Library of Congress Photoduplication Service, $d 1985-  $e microfilm reels ; 35 mm.

DATES:  1932,1942

260 ## $c 1982.

362 0# Vol. 1, no. 1 (May 1932)-v. 11, no. 6 (Dec. 1942).

580 ## Reprint. Originally published monthly: New York : The Association, 1932-1942.

Updating records

When a CONSER member adds a 362 field to a record or completes a 362 field already in a record, the participant should add the corresponding dates to the fixed field.

Related fields, etc.

260, 362, 515, 785, 936

008/07-10 - Date 1/Beginning date  (MARC 21 Format for Bibliographic Data)

008/11-14 - Date 2/Ending date  (MARC 21 Format for Bibliographic Data)

See also:

Leader/006/008

Section E.  MARC 21 Format for Serials as Applied Within CONSER

CONSER Editing Guide:  Contents