---
type: Documentation
title: Grouping publications
description: 'Librario has three fields for grouping related publications: original
  title, parent publication and series.'
resource: https://www.librario.de/en/docs/bibliothekswesen/best-practices/publikationen-gruppieren
language: en
revision: e114aa541d24c57e452957a2313c85d2014b716b
tags:
- docs
- bibliothekswesen
- best-practices
---

# Grouping publications

Three fields link related publications, each in a different way:

- **Series**: records the series a publication appeared in
- **Parent publication**: connects the parts of a multi-volume work
- **Original title**: groups different editions or translations of the same work

To gather publications for a project or a team, use [collections](/en/docs/grundlagen/sammlungen-verwalten) instead.

## Series

The **Series** field links separate publications that a publisher or institution issues under a shared series title. It suits:

- Scholarly series
- Technical documentation series
- Publication series from institutes or organisations

### Examples

- "Berichte aus der Bauforschung"
- "Fortschrittsberichte VDI"
- "Lecture Notes in Computer Science"

### Best practices

- Use the official series title
- Keep the spelling consistent
- If the publication has a number within the series, enter it in the **Number** field

## Parent publication


A parent publication gives a multi-volume work its structure: it links the individual volumes or parts to the main work.

### Examples

- "Beton-Kalender 2024" with Part 1 and Part 2
- Multi-volume handbooks such as the "ASM Handbook"
- Proceedings published in several volumes

### Best practices

1. Create the parent publication first:
   - Use a descriptive title without volume or part numbers
   - Record general metadata such as editors, publisher and year
   - Choose the matching publication type (for example **Book** or **Periodical**)

2. Then catalogue the individual volumes:
   - Give each volume its own title with its volume or part number
   - Link each volume to the main work in the **Parent publication** field
   - Record the metadata specific to each volume

## Original title


In library terms the field is the uniform title. Clicking a publication's original title lists every publication that shares it. The original title brings together different manifestations of the same work. It is especially useful for:

- Different editions (for example annual updates)
- Translations into other languages

Print and PDF of the same edition stay one publication: attach the PDF as a file and record the printed book as a hard copy.

### Examples

- "Schneider Bautabellen" (different years)
- "Stahlbau-Kalender" (annual editions)
- "Wendehorst Bautechnische Zahlentafeln" (new editions)
- "Roark's Formulas for Stress and Strain" (new editions)
- "CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics" (annual editions)

### Best practices

- Use a consistent, timeless title without year or edition
- For translations, use the title in the original language
- Write down how your team uses the field, so everyone applies it the same way

## Decision aid: which field should I use?

To pick the right field for your case, ask yourself these questions:

1. **Is it the same work in different versions?**
   → Use the original title
   - Example: different editions of the "Schneider Bautabellen"

2. **Is the publication part of a larger work?**
   → Use the parent publication
   - Example: volumes 1 and 2 of the "Beton-Kalender 2024"

3. **Was the publication issued in a series?**
   → Enter the series
   - Example: "Berichte aus der Bauforschung"

![Decision tree for choosing a grouping field: for the same work in different versions, use the original title; for part of a multi-volume work, use the parent publication; if it was issued in a series, enter the series; otherwise no grouping is needed.](/en/docs/bibliothekswesen/best-practices/publikationen-gruppieren/entscheidungsbaum.svg)

_Decision tree for choosing the right grouping field_