As rule 1.0C indicates, the ISBD punctuation between areas (period-space-dash-space) is omitted only when the next area is paragraphed.  By long-standing practice, fields 245, 250, and 260 constitute a paragraph as do fields 300-4XX.  That same long-standing practice treats MARC 21 5XX as individual paragraphs.  Thus, the period-space-dash-space would not be used to separate the physical description area from the publication, distribution, etc., area or to separate the first note of the note area from the physical description or the series areas.

1.   Fields 245, 250.  If either field 245 or 250 does not end in a period, add one.  Such a period is needed to generate the period-space-dash-space separator in a potential paragraphed display.  In the following examples of paragraphed displays, the period of the period-space-dash-space separator is in the record but the "space-dash-space" is not; it is generated by the display software.

245 00 $aWhy me?.

260 ## $aBirmingham, Ala. :$bWesting Co.,$c1982.

display:  Why me?. -- Birmingham, Ala. : Westing Co., 1982.

245 00 $aWestlake’s A study of "Singin’ in the rain".

260 ## $aBridgeport, Utah :$b[s.n.],$c1983.

display:  Westlake’s A study of "Singin’ in the rain". -- Bridgeport, Utah : [s.n.], 1983.

250 ## $a[1st ed.].

260 ## $aChicago, Ill. :$bPogner Corp.,$c1984-

display:  . -- [1st ed.]. -- Chicago, Ill. : Pogner Corp., 1984-

2.   Field 260.  Field 260 ends with a period, a closing parenthesis, a closing bracket, a question mark, or a hyphen.  Exceptionally, when no date is present in a serial or integrating resource description, the field does not end in a mark of ending punctuation unless it is part of the name of the publisher (i.e., in the absence of a date, no punctuation is added).  Since it is LC practice for monographs to enclose temporary data within angle brackets (see LC/CONSER Practice for Temporary/Uncertain Data), this field may also end in an angle bracket.

3.   Field 300.  Field 300 ends in a period or a closing parenthesis.  When field 300 is followed by a 4XX field, insure that it ends in a period.  In the following examples, the parentheses surrounding the series statements are not in the record; instead, they are generated by the display software.

300 ## $a271 p. ;$c21 cm. +$e1 atlas (37 p., 19 leaves ; 37 cm.).

490 1# $aResearch series

display:  271 p. ; 21 cm. + 1 atlas (37 p., 19 leaves ; 37 cm.). -- (Research series)

300 ## $a96 p. :$bill. ;$c18 cm.

440 #0 $aR & D publications

display:  96 p. : ill. ; 18 cm. -- (R & D publications)

4.   Fields 310/321.  Fields 310 and 321 do not end in a period unless it is part of the data.  They can end in a hyphen (open date), a right parenthesis (qualifying information), or an angle bracket (LC/CONSER practice for temporary data).

5.   Field 362.  For the ending mark of punctuation for field 362 , apply the convention stated in 2. Ending mark of punctuation (5XX) in the section Punctuation in Notes.

See also:

1.0C.  Punctuation/Spacing:  Table of Contents