I am hoping someone can help me figure out the "Visitor studies" journals, their OCLC records, and ISSN 1064-5578. The current journal called "Visitor studies" is published by Taylor & Francis, is available online from 2007 in Informaworld, but the ISSN/OCLC records are causing mass confusion with our SFX links.
The current journal I have in hand has ISSN printed on it: 1064-5578, title: Visitor studies. Issued by: Visitor Studies Association. Published by: Taylor & Francis. Semiannual. It is *not* conference proceedings.
OCLC # 26328174 (Conser record) is for ISSN 1064-5578. Entered under conference: Visitor Studies Conference. Title: Visitor studies : theory, research, and practice. 1988- Annual. The encoding level of this record is 7, but it's been PCC-authenticated. This record was updated to show change in publisher to Taylor & Francis and URL added. There is no mention of the Visitor Studies Association or different frequency, etc.
OCLC # 234189276 (not-Conser record) matches what I have in hand and links back to earlier title "Visitor studies today!" (OCLC # 45723914, Conser record, no ISSN, record is not closed), which links back to "Visitor behavior" (began in 1986 at the same Center for Social Design that originally published the annual "Visitor studies : theory, research, and practice").
The Visitor Studies Association website (http://visitorstudies.org/News/2/57/Visitor-Studies-Theory-Research-and-Practice-Archive/d,vsa-detail) says:
"This archive contains the entire run of Visitor Studies: Theory,
Research, and Practice (Proceedings of the 1988-1996 Visitor Studies
Association Conference), Visitor Behavior (1986-1997), and Visitor
Studies Today (1998-2006). [...] Visitor Studies is now being published by Taylor & Francis."
The info page for Visitor Studies: Theory, Research, and Practice says "From 1987 to 1998, the Visitor Studies Association published a
selection of articles from the proceedings of the annual Visitor
Studies Association Conference (1986-1997)." and the archive of volumes is v. 1 (1986)-v. 9 (1997).
From the information in the Association's archive, to me it seems like the "Visitor Studies" that was published as the proceedings of the Visitor Studies Conference permanently ceased with 1997, and the Association's non-conference-related journals are simple title changes from Visitor Behavior to Visitor Studies Today to Visitor Studies, with the additional publisher-induced confusion that they're printing ISSN 1064-5578 on the current issues.
But: Did CONSER or ISSN Agency decide that the 2006- T&F-published "Visitor Studies" is simply the rebirth of the 1986-1997 conference proceedings and that's why # 26328174 was updated? But if so, then why no mention of the Association (they are prominent on the pieces)? And since it's not conference proceedings anymore, it shouldn't be entered under the conference heading, so wouldn't that be a major change anyway?
CONSER's record for the online version was derived from # 26328174, so although it contains a bit more info (change in frequency), it's still entered under the conference name, doesn't mention the Association, etc.
Sorry this is so long! Like I said: mass confusion!! Can anyone help? Or explain CONSER's reasoning here? Thank you in advance! -- Kay Teel Metadata Librarian for Serials and Arts Resources
Metadata Development Unit Stanford University Libraries Stanford, California 94305 kteel@stanford.edu (650) 724-7346