Local Practices & Policies

Libraries are expected to check how the previous title in a series was cataloged to ensure series consistency and to verify series authorized headings before overlaying a pre-cat or exporting an OCLC record.  

When considering whether an item should be attached to a new or existing SWAN record, please use the following guidelines.

SWAN uses the 590 field for custom format vocabulary. Every bibliographic record that does not represent a standard-print book needs a 590 field with the appropriate term. Bibliographic records for a standard-size print book should not contain a 590 format field.

SWAN uses a custom search facet to distinguish fictional from nonfictional materials. The facet applies only to printed books, government documents, audiobooks on CD or cassette, preloaded audio players, and microform/microfiche. 

Starting with items published in 2017 and later, SWAN created guidelines for continuing resources and multi-volume book sets that can be cataloged using a single-volume standalone record or be attached to a multi-volume/continuing resource record. 

Local materials including special collections and Library of Things items such as government documents, equipment, games, puzzles, and ephemera pose a challenge in a consortial setting. SWAN aims to keep our libraries' options open when it comes to cataloging these materials.

Please follow these policies for DVD/Blu-Ray combo packs in order to improve the patron's experience in search and holds placement. Guidelines follow for all combo packs with instruction based on whether your library splits these packs or keeps the discs together.

Subject headings for local authors and collections of special interest may be added at the discretion of owning libraries. 

For materials in languages other than English, we favor OCLC records that have English as the language in the 040 subfield b. In addition, SWAN has established two local subject headings to facilitate discovery.   

If you need assistance cataloging foreign language materials, please contact SWAN's Bibliographic Services.

It is SWAN’s policy that board books do not share a bibliographic record with other formats of the title in Symphony; however, they are grouped with books in Aspen but have their own distinct format.  

Due to the ambiguous nature of classifying Vox, Wonderbooks, and other read-along materials, and the differing ways they are cataloged on OCLC, SWAN has compiled the following guidelines to ensure consistency in cataloging for them and other audio-enabled read-along books.

These items contain curated collection of movies selected according to actor, genre, subject, etc. 

They can be in-house created or purchased from Midwest Tape. The in-house created binge boxes will remain as brief records; however, the purchased binge boxes will be overlaid by full records.

A graphic novel is written in comic book style, but presents a complete story with a beginning, middle, and end.  Quite often, it contains a collection of stories that had been published previously as individual comic books.

This leads to title statements and series being constructed and displayed in multiple ways, generating confusion and inconsistencies when it comes to cataloging. Here are some guidelines and recommendations to ease the process of cataloging these items.

Often movies, television shows, and video games will release in physical formats at different times in different regions of the world. When certain materials are not available in the United States, some libraries have opted to purchase import copies from other regions to lend. Other libraries only purchase materials available in the United States. The practice may or may not be codified in library collection policies.

As of January 2017, it is SWAN policy that boxed sets be circulated as a single unit, including but not limited to television series. These items have a single barcode, circulate as one item, and check out for a minimum of 2-weeks per Circulation Policy. Please do not include season information in the volume area of call numbers for these items.  

Travel Guide series change rapidly and can can be difficult to catalog consistently. In April 2025, SWAN created practices that should be used as a baseline for this specific type of material moving forward. These guidelines are for items published in 2025 and later. 

Member libraries are welcome to conduct cleanup on older records, but there is no requirement for this work or plan to implement this retroactively by SWAN staff.