Serials Cataloging from the Union List Standpoint

Union lists of serials share many elements in common with catalogs of serials, and so are similarly affected by serials cataloging practices. However, since a union list is a consolidation of serials data from a number of libraries, more cataloging discrepancies will require resolving in it than in any one library's catalog. In this article, various serials cataloging issues are described as they affect union lists, such as fullness of bibliographic description, choice and form of entry, successive versus latest entry cataloging, and microform reproductions. In particular, the problems of OCLC-produced union lists are described.