Series Control File (Series.cvt)

This file is used to validate series IDs and to control the way in which they are displayed, as well as providing a means of providing series cross-references. There are four basic formats:

series ID~numeric control code~author name(s)~series URL~
series ID~alphabetic control string~author name(s)~series URL~
series ID~alphabetic control string~alternate series ID(s)~
series prefix~*~control code~

where:

• series ID identifies a series and is in the format described below.
• numeric control code determines which type(s) of list are displayed for the series in the Series Index and whether or not the series name may be used on non-fiction items. This is either 0 for the system default (currently: listed by author) or a value from 1 to 15 caused by combining the following "bitmask" flags:
  • 1 = list by author name
  • 2 = list by title
  • 4 = list by date
  • 8 = list contains both fiction and non-fiction items (if not set, non-fiction items are assumed to be about the series and are listed separately as references to the series)
  • 16 = do not list as secondary series in series index (used for imprint-specific series like "British Library Crime Classic") or for publisher names that are to be listed as a series
    
• author name(s) contains the name(s) of the author who writes stories in this series, concatenated by '/' characters. Note that the "expanded" author name should be used but that pseudonyms are not currently translated. If a large number of different authors write stories in the series (e.g. Sherlock Holmes stories) then this field (or the final name in the field) is set to "*" to indicate any author can write in the series. A suffix of "$n" may be added to one or more author names to indicate they are primary authors and should be listed first in the "by author name" listings. Note that this field is ignored if the "do not list as secondary series" flag is set.
• series URL is an optional field which, if specified, points to a web page with more information about the series. Note that any http:// or similar should be removed from the URL before adding it to this field.
• alphabetic control string is used to indicate a provisional series or to associate one series ID with another and may take one of the following settings:
  • X: this is used for internal purposes only and indicates that the series is provisional (i.e. we have only found a single instance of it and are not sure it is a series yet); it should be specified with author name(s) and, optionally, series URL as usual. The single instance in the database should have " [!]" appended to the series name. Note that the series name will not be displayed in any part of the index.
  • see under: this generates an entry in the series list linking the series ID to the alternate series ID(s) and is used to provide cross-references when a series might be known under multiple names (e.g. people might look for "Mannering| John| (The Baron)" under 'M' or under 'B'). If a single series might link to multiple alternate series then the latter should be separated by "/" characters.
  • use: this is used for internal purposes only and may be used to flag alternate series IDs or formats that are used which need to be standardised.
• alternate series ID(s) are specified in the same format as for the series ID and must relate to a series ID in the file as discussed below.
• control code is used to indicate special handling of a series prefix in some way. Currently there is only one supported value for this:
  • Z: the series prefix should not be split out as a sub-heading in the author index.

Series IDs are coded in a similar way to author names, with the "surname" first, "forenames" second and "additional bits" third, but the separators used are "|" characters rather than the "," characters used for author names. Thus some simple examples might be:

Abrams| Leah
Adjusters| The
Ainsley| John|, Master Thief

If the series relates to a character who is known both my a "real name" and a "character name" then the character name should be specified in brackets in the "additional bits" field and a cross-reference record added for it, as in:

King| Ed| (The Speed Demon)~1~Brandon, Barry~
Speed Demon| The~see under~King| Ed~

Note that only the real name part of the name being referenced (i.e. up to but not including the second |) should be specified in the cross-reference. Note also that, as in these examples, when a "title" is used for the character or the series as a whole then the leading article should be specified when appropriate (e.g. "Speed Demon| The" rather than "Speed Demon").

If multiple distinct series exist with the same name then they should be differentiated by appending an alphabetic identifier or numeric sequence number in square brackets after the series title (separated by two spaces and a second | if appropriate) as in:

Mars␢␢[Clark Ashton Smith]~0~Smith, Clark Ashton~
Mars␢␢[Kage Baker]~0~Baker, Kage~
Mars␢␢[Kim Stanley Robinson]~0~Robinson, Kim Stanley~
Fallen| The|␢␢[David Aaron Clark]~0~Clark, David Aaron/Rankin, David #4~
Fallen| The|␢␢[Thomas Sniegoski]~0~Sniegoski, Thomas E.~
Merlin␢␢[1]~0~Stewart, Mary/Nix, Garth~
Merlin␢␢[2]~0~Reynolds, Alastair~

For series defined this way, the full name will be displayed in the series index, but the qualifier will be removed when displaying the name in the other indexes.

By convention, in such cases, a "use" record should be added to indicate that the root series name should not be used in isolation, as in:

Mars~use~Mars [xxx]~
Merlin~use~Merlin [n]~

Note that series IDs must not contain the '#' character as this is used, when desired, to indicate a numeric sequence in a series (e.g. "Savage| Doc #34").

When choosing a series ID, preference should always be given to a series name that is used elsewhere (e.g. isfdb, thrillingdetective, Wikipedia, Goodreads, the author's website, etc.), particularly if there is a common name used in many online locations, unless there is a good reason to do otherwise. Note that it is important to remember that we are identifying series and not lead characters so a series may be named after a lead character (or characters) even if they do not appear in every story in the series. In such cases it is helpful to use the series URL to link to a discussion of the series - a good example is the Lydia Chin & Bill Smith series.

One problem that is commonly encountered with series IDs (but less commonly with author names) is when there is a character with a title and a Christian name (such as Father Hugh) which raises the question of whether the series should be listed under 'F' or 'H'. The current rule is that the series should appear under the prefix in the following cases:

• Where a religious or secular title (e.g. Abbot, Friar, Father, Brother, Sister, Lady, Lord, Madame) is followed by a single name (e.g. Abbot Joseph, Friar Robusto, Father Brown, Brother Leo, Sister Fidelma, Lady Emily, Lord John, Madame Seline, etc.)
• Where a familial relationship (e.g. Aunt, Granny, Uncle) is followed by a Christian name (e.g. Aunt Claribel, Granny Grace, Uncle Abner)
• Where an adjective is used to describe a Christian name (e.g. Bahama Bill, Buffalo Pete)

Note that if any of the above prefixes is followed by a "full name" then the series should appear under the surname as usual (e.g. "Father David" would appear under 'F' while "Father David Noone" would appear under 'N'). Note also that cross-references records may be added whenever there is a danger of confusion. To avoid adding a large number of cross-reference records with a similar purpose the generic "<name>" may be used instead, as in:

Captain <name>~see under~<name>| Captain~

Supplementary Files

In addition to SERIES.CVT there is an, optional, supplementary file that is used by various programs associated with names:

• SERIES.NEW: this has an identical format to SERIES.CVT and is currently used (in the UK) to contain unsynchronised records. The contents are merged into SERIES.CVT before use.