Treat almanacs and other annuals as periodicals. Do not confound periodicals with serials. The four characteristics of a periodical are: (1) that it be published at intervals usually but not necessarily regular; (2) in general that the publication be intended to continue indefinitely; (3) that it be written by a number of contributors under the supervision of one or more editors; (4) that it consist of articles on various subjects, so that a set of the work does not form an organic whole. The 2d, 3d, and 4th criteria exclude works like Trollope’s “The way we live now,” and the “Encyclopædia Britannica.” There are some exceptions to the 3d, as “Brownson’s quarterly review.” {41}
Make a reference from the name of the editor when the periodical is commonly called by his name, as in the case of Silliman’s Journal of science.
The Memoirs, Proceedings, Transactions of a society are periodicals in point of (1) occasional publication, (2) indefinite continuance, and—so far as they contain anything beyond the record of the society’s meetings—of (4) variety of subject; but they lack the 3d characteristic, variety of authorship, inasmuch as the memoirs or other papers given in addition to “proceedings” proper may be considered as the work of the society acting through its members; the society, therefore, is the author, and the Transactions, etc., need not have title-entry. There are, however, some “Journals” published by or “under the auspices of” societies which are really periodicals, and should be so treated in entry, the society being not the author but the editor. Again, there are works which occupy a borderland between the two classes, in regard to which the puzzled cataloguer should remember that it is not of much importance which way he decides, provided he is careful to make all necessary references. Examples of such doubtful cases are “Alpine journal: a record of mountain adventure and scientific observation. By members of the Alpine Club;” which contains nothing of or about the Club itself;—“Journal of the American Institute, a monthly publication devoted to the interest of agriculture, commerce, etc. Edited by a committee, members of the Institute,” and “Journal of the Society of Arts and of The Institutions in Union,” both of which are journals both in the sense of record of proceedings and of periodical publication.
Newspaper titles are troublesome. It is not uncommon for the name of the place to be included in the name on the first page (as The Boston Ægis), but to be dropped over the editorial column, or vice versa, or to be used for some years and afterwards dropped, or vice versa. The searcher can not always remember whether it is used or not. It would be well, therefore, to give under each name of a city the title of every newspaper published there which the library has.
74. Collections of extracts from a periodical should go under the name of the periodical.
Ex.
Life, Verses from.
Punch, A bowl of.
75. Make a first-word entry or reference for all works of prose fiction. (Include the author’s name in the entry.)
Ex.