Papers on the acquisition and cataloging of serials presented at the 1982 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference include: (1) "CONSER (CONversion of SERials): What It Is and How It Works," a description by Barrie A. F. Burns (Canada) of a North American cooperative serials cataloging project and its origins, management, standards, organization, participants, activities, input conventions, achievements, products, and problems; (2) "ISDS (International Serials Data System): World-wide Serials Control," a discussion by J. Szilvassy of the birth, objectives, and present and future role of ISDS--a machine-readable registry of international data on serials--and the theoretical and organizational aspects involved in the development of an international databank; (3) "NOSP (Nordisk Samkatalog over Periodica)," a description by Annika Salomonsen of the development of a joint Scandinavian union catalog of foreign serials in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden; and (4) "The Work of a Periodicals Agent," a discussion by John Merriman of methods of serial acquisition, reasons for using an agent, subscription agency services and pricing policies, and the automation of serials processing and publishing. (ESR)