Serial vs. monograph records for serials (other than periodicals)

Serials covered in this policy:

will be attached to the appropriate serial or monograph bibliographic record through the cataloging module
are published annually or less frequently, such as test books, travel guides, etc.
See the “Is It a Serial Flowchart [Forthcoming at a future meeting]” if you are unsure if your item qualifies as a serial or not.

For resources that WILL circulate in Polaris

ONLY a monographic bibliographic record may be used for resources that will circulate in Polaris.

For resources that will NOT circulate in Polaris (i.e. reference material) you may choose to catalog as either a:

Serial bibliographic record

Complete the Volume field in the item record
If changed to circulating, the item record must be transferred to the appropriate monograph bibliographic record. Delete information in the Volume field of the item record

Monograph bibliographic record

Leave the Volume field blank in the item record
If a circulating resource changes to non-circulating, the item record may stay on the monograph bibliographic record or may be transferred to the appropriate serial record. If transferred to a serial record, complete the Volume field.

If there is a gap of 5 years or more between editions of a serial, use a monograph bibliographic record, even if the resource will not circulate in Polaris.
Retrospective cataloging of existing items is highly recommended, but not required.
Periodicals (i.e. magazines or journals) will be attached to a serial bibliographic record through the Polaris serials module.

Rev. 07-2024