SERIAL RECORDS IN THE ELECTRONIC CATALOG

Use the Ithaca College Library online catalog to find out whether or not the library subscribes to a particular magazine, newspaper, or journal. The online catalog will first help you determine whether or not the library subscribes and then what the library's periodical holdings are. Serial records can be very confusing, so look at the records very carefully. If they continue to make no sense, ask a reference librarian.

Serials records should all include the following components:

• The current title of the periodical and any previous or alternate titles. With periodicals, title changes are frequent.
• The call number
• The library holdings statement:
  • date of first volume or issue the library owns
  • date of last volume or issue the library owns
  • indication of any gaps in the library's holdings between the first and last volume or issue
  • whether or not the title is currently received
• Format
  • the library's paper holdings
  • the library's microfilm holdings
  • the holdings online

If articles from a journal are available in an online database, the series record will not indicate that. There is at least one exception. JStor, is a special online database that provides online access to the earlier volumes of many of the titles the library subscribes to. If back issues are available in JStor, the serials will indicate that. Presently the library does not maintain many online subscriptions to magazines and journals. Science was one of the first. Access to the online version of Science is provided through the serials record in the online catalog.