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Physical or electronic resources published over time may be successive works, such as serials, which are issued in discrete parts or issues or integrating resources where the changes are incorporated in the latest iteration and the content of the previous iterations is no longer accessible.
NLM generally classes serials in W1 or W2 or in specifically marked classification numbers with the annotation (Monographs and Serials).
Note that W1–W4 include different types of serials.
Class Number | Caption |
---|---|
W General Medicine. Health Professions Reference Works. General Works |
|
W1 | Serials. Periodicals (Serials and serial analytics only) |
W2 | Serial documents (Table-G) (Serials and serial analytics only) |
W3 | Congresses (Serials and serial analytics only) |
W3.5 | Directories of congresses (Monographs and Serials) |
W4 | Dissertations on clinical research by university (Monographs and Serials) |
Almost all serials at NLM are classified in the form number W1, rather than by topic.
Serial government publications that are administrative or statistical in nature are classed in W2, along with ongoing reports about multiple hospitals under government administration. Serial hospital publications that are administrative or statistical in nature, including reports of single government hospitals are classed in WX 2.
Serial publications consisting of bibliographies, indexes, or abstracts are classed for subject, in the same way as monographs. Other non-periodical serials may be classed by topic when the classification schedule specifically says the number may be used for both monographs and serials. This most commonly occurs for specific publication types, such as directories, handbooks, dictionaries, legislation, etc.
Note (Monographs and Serials) in the Caption note for QS 39.
Class Number | Caption |
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QS Human Anatomy Anatomy |
|
QS 39 | Handbooks. Resource guides (Monographs and Serials) |
To find all the classification numbers that may be used for serials, search the online schedule for the word "serials." The class numbers retrieved are hyperlinked to the schedule.
Use of the W1 classification number allows NLM and other libraries to arrange their serials on the shelf alphabetically by title. Use of the W2 and WX 2 classification numbers allows government and hospital serial publications to be arranged on the shelf by jurisdiction or location. NLM does not supply alternate topical call numbers for serials. Libraries that prefer to shelve serials by topic need to assign their own call numbers to serial titles.
NLM supplies alternate topical call numbers for analyzed volumes of serials classed in W1 and W3.
Integrating resources are classified the same way as monographs. All numbers in the NLM Classification may be used for integrating works.