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Upcoming rule changes that will have a major impact on the cataloging world were the topic of a well-attended program that took place on July 17 at the AALL Annual Meeting in Minneapolis. The program, entitled "Revising Rules to Reflect the New Reality: Changing the Definition of Serials in AACR2," featured three distinguished speakers: Sara Shatford Layne of UCLA's Science and Engineering Library, Rhonda Lawrence of UCLA Law Library, and Ann Sitkin of Harvard Law Library.

Sara Shatford Layne introduced the concept of redefining seriality by outlining the historical development of the upcoming changes to AACR2 chapter 12 ("Continuing Resources") and placing them in a theoretical context. The proposed revisions to chapter 12 are based on a three-pronged model of the bibliographic universe, which has evolved in response to the failure of existing models to adequately describe certain kinds of resources, such as interfiling loose-leaf publications and websites. The suggested three-pronged model categorizes the bibliographic universe by form of issuance, as follows:

Single issuance (Finite)

• Single part monographs (Finite)
• Multipart monographs (Finite, complete when first issued)

Successive issuance (may be Finite or Continuing)

• Multipart monographs (Finite, but incomplete when first issued)
• Newsletters of events, etc. (Finite)
• Serials (Continuing)

Integrating issuance (may be Finite or Continuing)

• Updating loose-leafs (may be Finite or Continuing)
• Databases and websites (may be Finite or Continuing)

Some important conceptual changes introduced in the proposed chapter 12 and related rules include:

• The addition of explicit rules for dealing with changes in each area of the description
• The creation of rules for dealing with change in different ways depending on form of issuance (e.g., serial vs. integrating resource); reintroduction of latest entry cataloging in some instances
• The introduction of concepts of major and minor change; reduction in the number of changes considered major

Catalogers who are accustomed to applying Adele Hallam's Cataloging Rules for the Description of Looseleaf Publications will find much that is familiar in the treatment of integrating resources in the proposed chapter 12 revision.

Ann Sitkin's presentation expanded on some of the concepts introduced by Dr. Layne, taking a closer look at new terms that are used in the proposed chapter 12 revision (e.g., "integrating resource," "bibliographic resource"), and at some specific areas of change in the rules, including the parts that address the basis of the bibliographic description, the chief source of information, title changes, and statements of responsibility. As in Dr. Layne's presentation, it was stressed that the application of the new rules will depend greatly upon the nature of the resource (in particular, the resource's form of issuance) being described. Mention was made of the impact of the revised chapter 12 on other chapters of AACR2, notably chapter 21, which addresses the issue of what constitutes major and minor changes in title.

The Joint Steering Committee for Revision of Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules is scheduled to meet and make its final decision on the proposed chapter 12 revision this fall. Publication of the revised chapter 12 and related rules is expected in June 2002.

Rhonda Lawrence addressed the impact that the revision of AACR2 chapter 12 will have on MARC 21. MARBI proposal number 2001-05, "Changes in MARC 21 to Accommodate Seriality," consists of four separate proposals:

• Define code "i" in Leader/07 for "integrating resource" in the bibliographic format
• Define code "k" in 008/18 and 006/01 of the MARC 21 Bibliographic Format for resources that are continuously updated, and in fields 853-855 (captions and pattern), subfield w (frequency) of the MARC 21 Holdings Format
• Rename 008/21 and 006/04 from "Type of serial " to "Type of serial or integrating resource" and define codes "l" (updating loose-leaf), "d" (database), and "w" (updating website) as values in these fields
• Define code "2" in 008/34 and 006/14 (successive/latest entry indicator) for integrating resources

MARBI proposal number 2001-05 is available on the Web at http://lcweb.loc.gov/marc/marbi/2001/2001-05.html.

MARBI proposal number 2001-04, "Making Field 260 Repeatable in the MARC 21 Bibliographic Format," proposes that "Field 260 ‘Publication, Distribution, etc. (Imprint)' be made repeatable to accommodate both current and historical publishing information and to provide better access to this information for database managers and library system users. It also proposes definition of subfield 3 ‘Materials specified.'" According to the proposal, "[t]he earliest known place and publisher would be given in field 260, using first indicator value blank; the data in this field is not changed when the publisher statement on the resource changes. Subsequent changes of place and publisher would be given in sequential 260 fields using first indicator values 2-3."

MARBI proposal number 2001-04 is available on the Web at: http://lcweb.loc.gov/marc/marbi/2001/2001-04.html. At this time, there is no estimated date of implementation for the proposed changes to MARC 21. The timetable for implementation will depend to a large extent upon the ability of library system vendors and the bibliographic utilities to make the necessary changes to their systems to accommodate the revisions.

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