Guidelines for Recording Holdings: Gaps and Nongap Breaks
- Level 3 - Gaps are only recorded when a unit at the highest level of enumeration or chronology is missing.
- Level 4 - (Mandatory) - Gaps are record when any unit is missing.
- A gap is a break in the holdings of the published parts of a multipart unit or serial unit.
- A nongap break is a break in the holdings of a multipart unit or serial unit caused by unpublished parts or discontinuity in the publisher's sequential designations. Frequency changes are not considered nongap breaks.
Gaps - Level 3 | Gaps - Level 4 | Nongap Breaks - Level 3 | Nongap Breaks - Level 4 Gaps - Level 3
- If no issues of a volume are held, record the gap.
If no issues of volume 3 are held:
v.1(1950)-v.2(1951), v.4(1953)-v.8(1957)
- If some issues of a volume are held, do not record the gap.
If any issue of volume 3 is held:
v.1(1950)-v.8(1957)
Gaps - Level 4
- If no issues of a volume are held, record the gap.
v.1(1950)-v.2(1951), v.4(1953)-v.6(1955)
- If some issues of a volume or the entire volume are held, record the gap.
v.7:no.1(1956:Feb.)-v.7:no.2(1956:Apr.), v.8(1957)
Nongap Breaks - Level 3
- If a complete volume is not published, record the gap because it is at the highest level.
Volume 3 was never published:
v.1(1950)-v.2(1951); v.4(1953)-v.8(1957)
- If an issue of a volume is not published, do not record the gap.
If the spring issue of volume 3 is not published:
v.1(1950)-v.8(1957)
Nongap Breaks - Level 4
- If a complete volume is not published, record the nongap break.
Volume 3 was never published:
v.1(1950)-v.2(1951); v.4(1953)-v.6(1955)
- If an issue of a volume is not published, record the nongap break.
No more issues for volume 7 were published:
v.7:no.1(1956:Feb.)-v.7:no.2(1956:Apr.); v.8(1957)
- If the publisher changes enumeration or chronology, record the nongap break.
Publisher switches from volume and year to annual editions: v.1(1993)-v.3(1995); 1996 ed.
- If the publisher introduces a new series, record the nongap break.
Publisher introduces Series 2: ser.1:v.1(1985)-ser.1:v.10(1994); ser.2:v.1(1995)-ser.2:v.2(1996)
- If no issues of a volume are held, record the gap.

