University of Michigan/University Library Analysis of Aggregations of Electronic Monographs: Decision Guidelines
Cataloging Policy Council Draft Policy Proposal 11/30/99

Analysis of Aggregations of Electronic Monographs: Decision Guidelines

  1. Aggregation content can be accessed as an object that is comparable to a physical book and offers individual book-level addresses (usually URLs).
    Policy: Content should be fully analyzed with a uniform title added entry created for the aggregation title
    (Example). An additional record should be created for the aggregation itself.
  2. Aggregation content can be accessed as an object that is comparable to a physical book, but only provides a single address to an aggregation interface that has a list of contents that can be used to access individual titles. The user must pass through the aggregation portal before selecting an individual title.
    Policy: Contents should be analyzed* with an added public note in the 856: |z Access via [name of aggregation] and a uniform title added entry for the aggregation title (record for aggregation also required).
    (Example).
  3. Aggregation has content that can be accessed as objects that are comparable to a physical book, but only provides a single address to an aggregation interface and titles contained in the aggregation can only be accessed through manipulation of the database (such as a title search or via several layers of intervening browseable web pages).
    Policy:Contents should be analyzed* with an added public note in the 856: |z Access via [name of aggregation] and a uniform title added entry for the aggregation title. In addition, specific instructions for locating an individual title should be specified in the 538 field.
    (Example).
  4. Aggregation has contents that originated as a group of physical objects, only provides a single address to an aggregation interface, a list of contents is available, but access is only through a keyword search of the book/object's contents. Collections of text can be built that differ from the structure of the originating text.
    Policy:Do not analyze based on any originating physical containers. Contents, if manageable in size, may be listed in a contents note if the cataloger feels it is warranted, or a second 856 pointing to a contents list may be added to the aggregation record. If, based on discussion between the selector and the cataloger, it is established that there is value in creating "virtual collections" of materials that CAN be constructed using the resource's interface, the cataloger should create collection level records to describe these virtual collections.
    Unanalyzed example.
    Virtual collection example.
  5. Aggregation does not provide object divisions that approximate a physical book, even though the content may derive from them and have addresses for objects that correspond to lower-level structural divisions of the original source (e.g. poems or chapters).
    Policy:Do not analyze. Contents, if manageable in size, may be listed in a contents note if the cataloger feels it is warranted, or a second 856 pointing to a contents list may be added to the aggregation record.
    Example.
  6. Although aggregation content originated in physical books, the text of a source cannot be reconstructed via the aggregation interface. While portions of text may be retrieved, they do not correspond to structural divisions of the original.
    Policy:Do not analyze. Contents, if manageable in size, may be listed in a contents note if the cataloger feels it is warranted, or a second 856 pointing to a contents list may be added to the aggregation record.
  7. Web sites that are lists of links to other sites: Since non-commercial sites frequently link to sites that come from different providers, catalogers should not analyze such sites in the absence of specific instructions from a selector. Selectors desiring full or partial analysis of such sites must specify by title or URL those sites he/she would like to have cataloged.
  8. CD-ROMs: CD-ROMS that are networked should be analyzed following the guidelines listed above. Stand-alone CD-ROMs should be analyzed based on the current policies for paper "In-analytics."
*Analysis of very large aggregations (over 100 titles) must be planned in advance and should be negotiated with the Monograph Cataloging Division, based on the availability of existing records and competing work priorities.

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