PROCESSING VARIOUSLY CLASSED ITEMS

Occasionally you will need to check in and process a “variously classed” item. These items are part of a series and are denoted as such in the bib record, but the individual pieces are cataloged as monographs in various call number ranges, due to the specific nature of their subject matter. A good example of a series of this nature is the Special Papers series of the Geological Society of America. Note that in some cases variously classed titles may not technically be a series, but rather a group of related publications that we receive on an irregular basis; for example, the Miscellaneous Publications of a certain organization.

The check-in records for these types of series have various distinctive traits; for example, which type of “flag” they get (more on this below) and which location they are cataloged for:

You’ll also notice that the cards show the titles of each piece and that several of the older ones are suppressed:

When you receive and go to check in a variously classed item, two basic maintenance tasks should be performed (this can be before or after):

1. Check the cataloging status of any titles that have arrived and for which the boxes are unsuppressed:
   1. Copy & paste the title in the box, minimize the serial record you’re in, and do a title (not journal title, since variously classed items are cataloged as monographs) search in Sierra.
   2. If the title is cataloged, the search should result in a corresponding monographic bib record. You can verify that cataloging is complete for the title by seeing that there is a cat date, towards the top: ...and a cataloger’s initials towards the bottom in a local note:
   3. Once the piece is verified as cataloged, suppress the check-in box in the serials record.If there is no monograph record as of yet or no date in the cat date field, then leave the box as it is until the next review.  
   4. Repeat this for any remaining unsuppressed boxes.
2. Enter any titles for any not-yet-received, soon-to-be-published issues in the series:  Go to the publication’s website (there should be a URL in the check-in record, the bibliographic record, or a separate online record in the catalog; if not, consult with e-serials or the Serials Coordinator). Enter any titles for any unreceived, soon-to-be-published titles in the series you see on the website in their corresponding issue boxes. This will assist with claiming purposes and save time when checking in these titles in the future. You can also add staff notes regarding any publication dates the website may indicate for these titles.

When checking in the item, follow these guidelines:

• Do not stamp, strip, or label the issue. These tasks will be performed by the cataloging department once the cataloging process is complete.
• There are two types of flags: blue and white. Blue = paid title, white = gift.
• When the item is checked in, the only label that should print out is a routing label stating that the item is variously classed, what color flag it needs, and the cataloging location. Adhere this routing label to the FLAG, not the piece, and stick the flag in the piece, leaving part of the label visible.
• In pencil, write the cataloging location for greater clarity and in case the text prints out unclear or incomplete.
• With the flag inserted, take the item to the variously classed shelf, located in the cataloging area. There are separate shelves for blue flag items and white flag items.

DOES A PRINT ANALYZED OR VARIOUSLY CLASSED TITLE NEED TO BE REVIEWED FOR ONLINE ACCESS?

When checking in an analyzed or variously classed print volume, double-check the record for notes that indicate that the title is cataloged in both print and online formats, such as this one:

If the record has instructions like this, follow the procedure for internet analyzed titles (see “Check In—Analyzed Electronic Resources”).

Also, look for a current internet check-in record with boxes and/or instructions for processing internet access attached to the bib record. If there is such a check-in record but no instructions in the print record, it is a good idea to add them, similar to the example above.

Finally, look for a URL associated with the title that has stable, full-text access. For some titles, this can be checked by searching in Sierra for a separate online bibliographic record that we have in addition to the print record, and in that record looking for a landing page for the monographic issues under "Available Online" in the public display (the publisher-provided links are usually the best links). For example: https://library.uark.edu/record=b4546985~S1.

Another good place to find URLs is the check-in record, especially for variously classed items.These records are generally suppressed to the public and may have URLs that contain full-text access.

If such a link exists and there are no instructions to trigger internet access processing, please send the title to e-serials or the Serials Coordinator for review.