Sz. Németh Mária: A központi folyóirat-címjegyzék kérdései (A MTAK kiadványai 12. Budapest, 1959)

43 generál and Mr. Jesinger, director ; from tho Germán Democratic Republic : Mr. II. Kunze, director generál ; from Yugoslavia : Mr. M. Baée, director ; from the Federal Republic of Germany : Mr. Rister, councillor ; from Czecho-Slovakia : Mr. J. Lomsky. Alsó this time we thank them for their kind efforts.) These criteria and characteristics which are to be examined by the editora of all unión lists of periodicals can be summed up as follows : 1. As far as the definition of the notion of a "periodical" is concerned, it is generally accepted to-day to interpret it in a very wide sense. 2. Only those periodicals are included in the printed lists of periodicals which are of importance from the point of view of scientific work. More concessions may be mado in connection with the card catalogue constituting the basis of the publication. 3. It may mean a content restriction if the lists do not publish the titles and locations of all periodicals owned by the libraries, but onlv those of the periodicals covering certain special fields (e. q. subject catalogues of engineering, natural and medical sciences). 4. Most of the catalogues — there are, of eourse, exceptions — include only the stock of foreign periodicals regarding the country concerned because the holdings of national periodicals can generally be found in the national library of the country concerned; 5. The content of printed catalogues of periodicals can be influenced alsó by the fact of how many libraries' holdings they are composed. It is the usual triplicity (national, régiónak local unión catalogue) which prevails over the domain of printed lists of periodicals, too. In smaller countries the establishment of national unión catalogues seems to be the most appropriate, while in large countries régiónál ones are generally necessary. Then the paper examines the best-known Iocation indexes from the point of view of how many libraries and titles of periodicals they comprise. VI. The examination of the formai elements (cataloguing, arrangement of the material) is not an unimportant question of detail if we do not lose sight of the fact that the first and main aim of printed Iocation indexes of periodicals is to give information to readers (scientific researchers). In case this is our guiding principle, we shall be able to decide resolutely about- the matters in dispute. 1. The treatise briefly deals with the formai problems of titles, sub-titles, publishing bodies, places and years of publication, short titles, the data conneeted with holdings, and cross-references. 2. Of the unsettled problems it discusses in detail the question of the changed titles and the possible ways of solution. Although each tvpe has advantages and disadvantages, yet the author considers that type as the most appropriate where changes of titles are indicated in an independent unit and there are references to the former resp. latter titles. 3. "Corporate author" is not only a problem of cataloguing, but it has an effect alsó on the structure of the whole catalogue. The paper comes to the conclusion that, from the point of view of practical usage, that solution appears to be the most suitable which, on the one hand, indicates the periodicals under their titles and, on the other, completes the catalogue with an index of the corporate bodies. 4. Ilaving touched briefly upon one or two problems of transliteration, the author passes over to the question whether a unión list of periodicals in alphabetical order or in subject arrangement serves better the purpose? Examining the problem and taking into consideration S. R. RANGANATIlAN's standpoint of principle and practice connected with it, she shares the view of giving preference to the alphabeticoelassed catalogue against that of subject arrangement. The latter point of view can be fulfilled through suitable indexes. 5. Then she deals with the rules of the incorporation of entries and regards the so-called "Anglo-Saxon" incorporation system, contrary to the rules of the "Preussische Instruktion", as brighter and easier to survey because it files the titles in a given order of words. VII. Discussing the indexes of catalogues, the author finds the alphabetical title list completed by appropriate index system to be the ideál solution. Especially a subject index, a geographical one, and that of corporate bodies can be of great help to analvsing the material in a many-sided manner. In practice (because of expenses, time factor etc.), however, one arrives at a certain compromise as regards indexes. VIII. The experiences on organization, search for material, compilation are grcathy varied. In these fields the following statements can be made :