| COMARC/B | December | 2014 |
The online accessible ISSN database within the COBISS shared cataloguing system is the basis for continuing resources cataloguing. Records download from the ISSN database (ISSN format) to the COBIB shared database (COMARC/B format) proceeds automatically with the ISSN.
| INDICATOR | VALUE | MEANING |
| 1 | Level of interest | |
| 0 | Continuing resource of international or national interest | |
| 1 | Continuing resource of local interest | |
| ⊔ | Level not specified | |
| 2 | Not defined |
A data may be entered only for articles related to a serial which ISSN (or temporary number or COBIB number) is entered in this subfield.
A correctly applied ISSN including the hyphen between the fourth and fifth digits.
Foreign continuing resources have a valid ISSN only if there is a record in the ISSN database with such an ISSN. Domestic continuing resources have a valid ISSN if there is a record in the COBIB shared database that is updated by the National ISSN Centre.
Since a subfield 011a was defined for entering data for articles, an ISSN of a continuing resource is entered in subfield 011e.
In case to avoid duplicate records in the COBIB shared database a programme control is implemented that checks the uniformity of IDs (ISSN, unverified ISSN, COBIB number, temporary number; query: Select SP=011e OR SP=011f OR SP=011c OR SF=011e OR SF=011f OR SF=011c). Data entry is mandatory, namely in subfield 011e or 011f or 011c.
Unverified ISSN may be entered only for foreign continuing resources, if a continuing resource has a printed ISSN but there is no record for it in the ISSN database.
On the basis of photocopies of title and other relevant pages the National ISSN Centre assures verification of these ISSNs from the International ISSN Centre in Paris. If the analytical cataloguing is present in some library, the temporary number is also assigned to publications that are going to be catalogued analytically.
After receiving the verification, the National Centre enters the ISSN in subfield 011e and also deletes subfield 011f. If a publication has a temporary number, it remains in subfield 011c also after the ISSN was verified (see example 8).
An ISSN designated by the ISSN network to link together various medium versions of a continuing resource (see examples 10, 11).
An ISSN-L incorrectly designated to a continuing resource (see example 12).
A data may be entered only for articles related to the serial which is a series containing subseries or a supplement of the other serial. Both serials have an ISSN, a temporary number or a COBIB number.
An article is primary related (subfield 011a) to the serial where it was actually published, with the exception of the articles from supplements that are related to the host item.
An ISSN of the other (alternative) serial is entered in subfield 011s and the alternative numbering in subfields 215opqrs.
That includes any incorrect ISSN other than those recorded in subfield y. Most often this will be the result of a printing error. An ISSN is entered which is printed on the item, no matter if it is different from the ISSN recorded in the ISSN database. An ISSN entered in this subfield can exist as a valid ISSN in subfield 011e but in some other record (see example 5).
ISSN is assigned to a continuing resource in accordance with ISO 3297. The system for allocating ISSN is controlled by the International ISSN Centre in Paris. National Centres allocate ISSN to new continuing resources from a batch of numbers allocated to them by the International ISSN Centre, and communicate them to the International Centre.
As a part of the UNISIST programme, the ISSN System was established at the beginning of 1970s, by signing the agreement between UNESCO and the French government. In that way, the International Centre for serials registration and identification was founded, better known as the International ISSN Centre. Its basic task was to establish and maintain an automated system for identification and registration of continuing resources, namely to design an international database for continuing resources, in the first place for these which holds new scientific and technological knowledge.
The national and regional ISSN centres are established for the ISSN database design and maintain. On the basis of the special arrangements with the International Centre there are also some non-member countries included in the system.
The mechanism for the uniform identification of continuing resources is made of: an ISSN, a key title and an abbreviated key title. These elements are under the direct control of the International ISSN Centre.
In updating the COBIB shared database, which is based on the uniform identification of continuing resources with help of an ISSN, the cooperation of the National ISSN Centre is usually needed twice. It is always when:
a publication has a printed ISSN, but there is no record for it in the ISSN database yet or
a publication has no ISSN.
An ISSN printed on the item, but without a record in the ISSN database, must be checked. For items that have no ISSN yet and meet all agreed conditions for an ISSN assign, an ISSN applying procedure may be started.
In that case the photocopies of the title page and/or other relevant pages, together with the application form which is defined by the National Centre, must be communicated to the National ISSN Centre. The most relevant is the colophon page.
The procedure for verification and getting an ISSN for continuing resources:
The National ISSN Centre assigns an ISSN to continuing resources in two ways:
to the publisher before a continuing resource is published or
on the basis of legal deposit schemes.
It is possible that some participant in the shared cataloguing system acquires a publication before it comes to the competent ISSN centre.
In the first instance, the National ISSN Centre assigns an ISSN and makes a previous cataloguing record on the basis of the data that the National ISSN Centre obtains from the publisher. After receiving a legal deposit copy the National ISSN Centre completes the record and sends it to the International ISSN database. If the publisher did not claim for an ISSN before the continuing resource was published, the National Centre catalogues a record on the basis of a legal deposit copy. If some participant in the shared cataloguing system receives a publication before the National ISSN Centre obtains a legal deposit copy of it, he sends to the National Centre the photocopies of the relevant pages. On that basis, the National Centre makes a previous cataloguing record which the other participants download in their local databases. After receiving a publication, a record is updated by the National ISSN Centre.
In the case of foreign continuing resources the National ISSN Centre sends claims for an ISSN verification or assign forward to the International Centre based in Paris.
When the National Centre receives a claim for an ISSN verification or assign it assigns a temporary number to a continuing resource and also informs about that the institution which has sent a claim. A claim for verification of an existing ISSN, or for assigning a new one, the National Centre sends forward to the International Centre.
If a publication already has an ISSN, but there is no record for it in the ISSN database, the ISSN is entered in subfield 011f – Unverified ISSN* (see example 8).
Within the shared cataloguing system there is a need for marking continuing resources for which an ISSN assign was not justified. For such publications a COBIB number is provided. A COBIB number is assigned by the National ISSN Centre being competent for its national area production, and on the basis of a legal deposit schemes or a publisher's claim if a continuing resource does not meet conditions for assigning an ISSN.
A COBIB number is assigned to continuing resources that do not meet conditions for an ISSN assign. On the other side such publications are important for the COBIB shared database (preparation of bibliographies, online catalogue of foreign serials, analytical cataloguing etc.).
A COBIB number has a similar structure as an ISSN, and it begins with the letter "C". A number on the second position identifies the National ISSN Centre (e.g. C500-0022 is a COBIB number assigned by NUK).
Before a COBIB number is being assigned, the National Centre must check if there is already a record for that continuing resource in the COBIB shared database. If there is a record it is downloaded together with the existent COBIB number. The record is updated, if it is necessary.
The National Centre assigns a COBIB number on the basis of photocopies of the title page and other relevant pages of such publications.
A Temporary number of a continuing resource is assigned only to foreign continuing resources.
The National ISSN Centre, that communicates a claim for identification of a continuing resource to the International ISSN Centre, assigns a temporary number only to continuing resources that:
have an ISSN printed and are analytically catalogued, but there are no records for them in the ISSN database.
do not have an ISSN and
meet all conditions to be included in the ISSN database (a publishing year being 1971 and onwards).
do not meet a condition of a publishing year being 1971 and onwards, but the National Centre estimates the importance of a publication which makes an ISSN assign justified.
A temporary number has a structure similar to ISSN beginning with the letter "Y". A number on the second position identifies the National ISSN Centre (e.g. Y500-0022 is a temporary number assigned by NUK).
On the bases of photocopies of the title page and other relevant pages of such publications, the National Centre acquires an ISSN from the International Centre based in Paris.
After a record is being registrated in the ISSN database the National Centre enters an ISSN in subfield 011e. A temporary number remains in subfield 011c, if articles are linked to the host item with that number (see example 7).
Before a temporary number is assigned, the National Centre must check if there was already a record for that continuing resource in the COBIB shared database. If there was a record it is downloaded together with the existent number. The National Centre, that has assigned a temporary number and has sent a claim for an ISSN assign forward to the International Centre, must inform about that procedure all other participants in the shared cataloguing system.
An ISSN consists of eight digits, namely of two groups of four numbers each and a hyphen between the groups. These are the Arabic numerals 0 to 9, except in the case of the last or check digit where a roman numeral X can occur. The check digit is calculated on a modulus 11 basis using weights 8 to 2. The calculation is similar to the one that is performed on ISBN (see field 010). It is only an ISSN number with a hyphen entered in field 011, and the letters ISSN are found printed on the item.
Subfields 011a and 011s are used only in records for articles. The other subfields are only in records for continuing resources.
| 010 | INTERNATIONAL STANDARD BOOK NUMBER |
| A number similar in use to the ISSN but applied to books. | |
| 040 | CODEN |
| An additional identification system for serials. | |
| 225 | SERIES |
| An ISSN for a series to which the item being catalogued belongs may be entered in subfield 225x. | |
| 530 | KEY TITLE |
| The key title of a continuing resource. | |
| 531 | ABBREVIATED KEY TITLE |
| Abbreviated key title of a continuing resource. | |
| 4XX | LINKING ENTRY BLOCK |
| An ISSN of a continuing resource, which is however related to the continuing resource (series, subseries) being catalogued, may be entered in subfield x of a corresponding field within block 4XX. |
011 ⊔⊔ e0003-9756 (ISSN for "Archives européennes de sociologie".) 011 ⊔⊔ e0105-0064 y0036-5646 ("Scandinavian times" and "Scandinavian times magazine" were allocated the same ISSN. This number is cancelled and a new number allocated to each. The example gives the contents of the ISSN field in the record of the "Scandinavian times".) 011 ⊔⊔ e0260-7743 dFree to members of the federation only (The "Newsletter" of the London Federation of Museums and Art Galleries has the ISSN 0260-7743. Details of terms of availability are included in the record.) 011 ⊔⊔ e0009-3947 d£1.00 d£13.25 yearly (Both a single issue price and a subscription rate are quoted on the item.) 011 ⊔⊔ e0263-3264 z0226-7223 z0068-2691 (The two different ISSN are given on the "Yearbook of European law", 1984 edition. Both are wrong. The correct and the two incorrect ISSN are listed in the field.) 011 ⊔⊔ d£2.95 (The "Moomins annual" has a price; but no ISSN has been assigned.) *
011 ⊔⊔ cC500-0017 200 1⊔ aNova proga eglasilo Slovenskih železnic (The temporary number has been assigned.) 011 ⊔⊔ cC500-0017 e1408-3728 200 1⊔ aNova proga eglasilo Slovenskih železnic (After the receipt of the valid ISSN.) *
011 ⊔⊔ cY501-3674 f0939-6233 200 1⊔ aVestigia Bibliae eJahrbuch des Deutschen Bibel-Archivs Hamburg (The publication has the ISSN printed, but there is no record for it in the ISSN database.) 011 ⊔⊔ e0939-6233 cY501-3674 200 1⊔ aVestigia Bibliae eJahrbuch des Deutschen Bibel-Archivs Hamburg (After the ISSN verification, that is after being included in the ISSN database.) *
011 ⊔⊔ e0371-4039 y0081-3966 200 1⊔ aGlas fSrpska akademija nauka i umetnosti. Odeljenje medicinskih nauka (Both valid and cancelled ISSN are quoted on the item.) 011 0⊔ e1819-1371 l1819-1371 (ISSN and ISSN-L of the continuing resource "Construction law international", which is published in printed form, with no other medium form.) 011 0⊔ e1818-5894 l1818-5894 (ISSN and ISSN-L of the continuing resource "Social policy highlight", which is published in printed form.) 011 0⊔ e1818-5940 l1818-5894 (ISSN and ISSN-L of the continuing resource "Social policy highlight", which is published as online source.) 011 0⊔ e1234-1231 l1234-1231 (Record for printed version.) 011 0⊔ e1560-1560 l1234-1231 m1560-1560 (Record for online version. The medium versions of the resource were identified separately and not immediately linked together, by mistake.)