Problem Map Series/Set Treatment

The choice of treatment for map series/set is dependent on many factors including:

reference and user access to individual items;

economic and technical factors;

total number of sheets or items in a map series/set;

relative strength of the relationship between the items in the map series/set.

Although there may be theoretical advantages to various options for treatment, selection of a treatment for a specific map series/set is primarily a management decision based on the cost effectiveness of the respective options. However, when a publisher explicitly identifies series status for a group of maps, the publisher’s intent must be considered in determining the treatment of the series.

The choice of treatment for a map series/set made up of lower-level administrative divisions (e.g., U.S. counties) is particularly difficult under this criteria. In general one of the first two of the following approaches should be chosen for a map series/sets that contains items representing lower-level administrative divisions.

Separate classification and filing of individual sheets as single maps with separate full descriptions for each individual sheet including a series statement to denote the relationship among the sheets (i.e., each sheet classed separately, analyzed in full).

The collection of each state-level "sub-series" under a single series classification with a description of each state level "sub-series" as a single bibliographic description (i.e., each "sub-series" classed as a set, not analyzed).

The collection of each state-level "sub-series" under a single series classification for the "sub-series" with separate full descriptions for each sheet including a series statement to denote the relationships among the sheets (i.e., each "sub-series" classed as a set, analyzed in full).

The collection of the series as a whole under a single classification with the description of the series as a whole in a single bibliographic description (i.e., classed as a set, not analyzed).