- Email: [email protected]
Serials management: A practical guide
Nissley is Head of Acquisitions and Collection Management at the Meriam Library, California State University, Chico.
Serials Management: A Practical Guide Elizabeth Parang Serials Management: A Practical Guide, by Chiou-sen Dora Chen. Chicago: American Library Association, 1995 (Frontiers of Access to Library Materials, no. 3). 186 p. $35. ISBN o-8389-0658-3. Practical is the best word to describe this volume on serials management, which is easily understood and contains many helpful suggestions. This guide deals with serials in three formats: paper, microform, and electronic, and covers many of the practical details often omitted in the classroom. As the author explains in the preface of the book, its “major emphasis [is] on serials acquisitions because that is the unique function in serials management.” Additional topics discussed include organization, collection development issues, public service issues, serials vendors, automation, preservation and binding. The first challenge in serials work is to define your area of coverage. Whereas twenty-one pages of Andrew Osbom’s book Serials Publications: Their Place and Treatment in Libraries1 were devoted to defining serials, Chen notes that the AACR2 definition of a serial is now the standard and quickly explains it to the reader. Next comes a discussion of five major categories of serials followed by an explanation of typical problems caused by serial publication patterns. The chapter concludes with an outline of the advantages of microforms and an introduction to serials on CD-ROM and electronic journals. In the chapter on the organization of serials operations, Chen lays out varying models, commenting that each library will need to develop its own best method. Included here is a discussion of the attributes of the successful serials manager and a brief discussion of reorganization, “a common phenomenon in serials management.” In her discussion of collection development issues, Chen envisions the serials librarian providing support for the activities of selectors by furnishing information needed in making selection or deselection decisions and creating and maintaining fund expenditure reports needed to control the budget. She touches on the issues
-TOOLSOFTHESERIALS
TRADE-
of ownership vs. access, and deselection, and gives sources of collection development information. She outlines the important practical questions which are best answered at the time an order is placed: Should previous volumes be acquired? What will the retention be? How should supplementary materials be treated? and so forth. Budgeting considerations are carefully outlined, including calculating costs for continuing and new subscriptions, obtaining accurate estimates of inflation and foreign currency fluctuations, determining the bindery budget, and producing useful budget reports. Reflecting current practices, Chen assumes that most readers utilize serials vendors and, therefore, devotes most of a chapter to vendor selection issues of evaluation, consolidation, switching, and good communication practices. Especially useful for the novice is the thoughtful discussion of different serials acquisition methods, including subscriptions, standing orders, firm orders, gifts, exchanges, memberships, depository programs, approval plans, and blanket orders. And special attention is given to the challenges faced when acquiring serials in electronic format. There is a lengthy chapter on processing serials acquisitions which gives all the essential steps for new, renewal and backfile ordering, and covers both manual and automated systems. Comments regarding the receipt of electronically transmitted serials are offered and, in keeping with the practical orientation of the book, Chen even gives valuable advice on sorting the mail. Once a serial is acquired, the question of preservation must be addressed. Chen introduces the concept of electronic preservation, briefly discusses microforms, and then acknowledges the popularity of binding the paper issues. Factors to consider in selecting a bindery are touched upon as well as practical steps in running a bindery operation including when to bind, collecting issues, preparations, receiving, and record keeping. The chapter devoted to records control begins with coverage of both essential and optional acquisitions records and includes a discussion of such complex acquisition records as serials with subseries and monographic sets with series. Of benefit to the novice are the brief explanations of the various files (tickler, desiderata, decision, and routing) which support the records operation. In contrast to Osbom’s and Tuttle’s2 classic works, Chen does not attempt to cover cataloging issues in any depth but instead refers the reader to basic sources on
FALLI!M
147
serials cataloging. She does include a cogent explanation of holdings records, their various standards, locations and purposes. In examining the public service issues faced by serials managers, Chen notes that new organizational trends frequently place serials departments in charge of some public services. Where the traditional separation remains, public services staff rely on serials staff for time-sensitive receipt information and interpretation of serials records. Reference services performed by serials staff include identifying articles and providing access. Recent issues not touched on in either Osbom’s or Tuttle’s books include full-text databases and article delivery services. Libraries may establish a circulation policy which differs for periodicals and continuations. In determining collection arrangement and location they must consider such issues as classification of periodicals, shelving, format, and security needs. Finally the Periodicals Reading Room and the Microform Room are discussed and collection maintenance issues, such as weeding, are raised. Serials automation is another area where many advances have occurred since Osbom and Tuttle wrote their books. On this topic Chen briefly extols the advantages of automation, then compares stand-alone and integrated systems. She outlines the issues that should be considered in selecting a system and discusses the implementation of an automated serials control system including planning, staff training, and how to build the database. In looking to the future, Chen sees changes resulting from the impact of electronic publishing, the Internet, pricing, copyright, and standards. The role of serials librarians is evolving and the reader is advised to keep abreast of future challenges through participation in professional organizations and conferences, and by reading the serials literature. The book concludes with a bibliography of works consulted, followed by a selected annotated bibliography which emphasizes tools a new serials librarian can utilize to keep up with current topics and books which provide a firm foundation in serials management. Serials Management: A Practical Guide meets the author’s goal of teaching the “practical knowledge and skills required of a working serials manager.” Not only does it provide an excellent introduction for the novice but it also serves as a refresher for the experienced serials librarian. I would recommend this book to any librarian, paraprofessional or library school student interested in serials work.
148 SERIALSREVIEW
NOTES 1. Osbom, Andrew D. Serial Publications: Their Plac in Libraries. 3d. ed. Chicago: America Library Association, 1980. and Treatment
2. Tuttle, Marcia. Introduction to Serials Managemen Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press, 1983.
Parang is Coordinator
of Periodicals,
Pepperdin
University, Malibu, CA.
Building the Service-Based Library Web Site: A Step-by-Step Guide to Design and Options Kathy Schmidt
Building the Service-Based Library Web Site: 1 Step-by-Step Guide to Design and Options, by Kristel L. Garlock and Sherry Piontek. Chicago: America] Library Association, 1996. 101~. $25.00. ISBF o-8389-0674-5. If you have not already started creating a library wel page and feel overwhelmed at the prospect, this boo1 may help get you started. There are many books avail able that give advice on how to build web pages bu very few that are specific to libraries. This softcove volume gives a helpful overview of how to go abou planning for a web page. There are often political am strategic plans that need to be made when creating i site. Design issues can overshadow the importance o defining a page’s audience or incorporating the we1 page into the rest of the library’s services, and these an the points that are highlighted in the text. What tht book does not do is go into details on how to codt pages. Although there is an appendix with some simph home pages, there is no overall explanation of HTML coding. This kind of detail will have to come from other generic how-to-create-a-web-site books. The first chapter is a very basic overview of why libraries might be interested in having a home page There are ideas given for ways a library would use 2 home page. These ideas range from presenting loca: information about the library to creating new library services and resources. The ideas are accompanied by screen shots of actual library home pages. In additior the web addresses on these samples are readable so thai
- TERESA MALINOWSKI
-
Serials Management: A Practical Guide Elizabeth Parang Serials Management: A Practical Guide, by Chiou-sen Dora Chen. Chicago: American Library Association, 1995 (Frontiers of Access to Library Materials, no. 3). 186 p. $35. ISBN o-8389-0658-3. Practical is the best word to describe this volume on serials management, which is easily understood and contains many helpful suggestions. This guide deals with serials in three formats: paper, microform, and electronic, and covers many of the practical details often omitted in the classroom. As the author explains in the preface of the book, its “major emphasis [is] on serials acquisitions because that is the unique function in serials management.” Additional topics discussed include organization, collection development issues, public service issues, serials vendors, automation, preservation and binding. The first challenge in serials work is to define your area of coverage. Whereas twenty-one pages of Andrew Osbom’s book Serials Publications: Their Place and Treatment in Libraries1 were devoted to defining serials, Chen notes that the AACR2 definition of a serial is now the standard and quickly explains it to the reader. Next comes a discussion of five major categories of serials followed by an explanation of typical problems caused by serial publication patterns. The chapter concludes with an outline of the advantages of microforms and an introduction to serials on CD-ROM and electronic journals. In the chapter on the organization of serials operations, Chen lays out varying models, commenting that each library will need to develop its own best method. Included here is a discussion of the attributes of the successful serials manager and a brief discussion of reorganization, “a common phenomenon in serials management.” In her discussion of collection development issues, Chen envisions the serials librarian providing support for the activities of selectors by furnishing information needed in making selection or deselection decisions and creating and maintaining fund expenditure reports needed to control the budget. She touches on the issues
-TOOLSOFTHESERIALS
TRADE-
of ownership vs. access, and deselection, and gives sources of collection development information. She outlines the important practical questions which are best answered at the time an order is placed: Should previous volumes be acquired? What will the retention be? How should supplementary materials be treated? and so forth. Budgeting considerations are carefully outlined, including calculating costs for continuing and new subscriptions, obtaining accurate estimates of inflation and foreign currency fluctuations, determining the bindery budget, and producing useful budget reports. Reflecting current practices, Chen assumes that most readers utilize serials vendors and, therefore, devotes most of a chapter to vendor selection issues of evaluation, consolidation, switching, and good communication practices. Especially useful for the novice is the thoughtful discussion of different serials acquisition methods, including subscriptions, standing orders, firm orders, gifts, exchanges, memberships, depository programs, approval plans, and blanket orders. And special attention is given to the challenges faced when acquiring serials in electronic format. There is a lengthy chapter on processing serials acquisitions which gives all the essential steps for new, renewal and backfile ordering, and covers both manual and automated systems. Comments regarding the receipt of electronically transmitted serials are offered and, in keeping with the practical orientation of the book, Chen even gives valuable advice on sorting the mail. Once a serial is acquired, the question of preservation must be addressed. Chen introduces the concept of electronic preservation, briefly discusses microforms, and then acknowledges the popularity of binding the paper issues. Factors to consider in selecting a bindery are touched upon as well as practical steps in running a bindery operation including when to bind, collecting issues, preparations, receiving, and record keeping. The chapter devoted to records control begins with coverage of both essential and optional acquisitions records and includes a discussion of such complex acquisition records as serials with subseries and monographic sets with series. Of benefit to the novice are the brief explanations of the various files (tickler, desiderata, decision, and routing) which support the records operation. In contrast to Osbom’s and Tuttle’s2 classic works, Chen does not attempt to cover cataloging issues in any depth but instead refers the reader to basic sources on
FALLI!M
147
serials cataloging. She does include a cogent explanation of holdings records, their various standards, locations and purposes. In examining the public service issues faced by serials managers, Chen notes that new organizational trends frequently place serials departments in charge of some public services. Where the traditional separation remains, public services staff rely on serials staff for time-sensitive receipt information and interpretation of serials records. Reference services performed by serials staff include identifying articles and providing access. Recent issues not touched on in either Osbom’s or Tuttle’s books include full-text databases and article delivery services. Libraries may establish a circulation policy which differs for periodicals and continuations. In determining collection arrangement and location they must consider such issues as classification of periodicals, shelving, format, and security needs. Finally the Periodicals Reading Room and the Microform Room are discussed and collection maintenance issues, such as weeding, are raised. Serials automation is another area where many advances have occurred since Osbom and Tuttle wrote their books. On this topic Chen briefly extols the advantages of automation, then compares stand-alone and integrated systems. She outlines the issues that should be considered in selecting a system and discusses the implementation of an automated serials control system including planning, staff training, and how to build the database. In looking to the future, Chen sees changes resulting from the impact of electronic publishing, the Internet, pricing, copyright, and standards. The role of serials librarians is evolving and the reader is advised to keep abreast of future challenges through participation in professional organizations and conferences, and by reading the serials literature. The book concludes with a bibliography of works consulted, followed by a selected annotated bibliography which emphasizes tools a new serials librarian can utilize to keep up with current topics and books which provide a firm foundation in serials management. Serials Management: A Practical Guide meets the author’s goal of teaching the “practical knowledge and skills required of a working serials manager.” Not only does it provide an excellent introduction for the novice but it also serves as a refresher for the experienced serials librarian. I would recommend this book to any librarian, paraprofessional or library school student interested in serials work.
148 SERIALSREVIEW
NOTES 1. Osbom, Andrew D. Serial Publications: Their Plac in Libraries. 3d. ed. Chicago: America Library Association, 1980. and Treatment
2. Tuttle, Marcia. Introduction to Serials Managemen Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press, 1983.
Parang is Coordinator
of Periodicals,
Pepperdin
University, Malibu, CA.
Building the Service-Based Library Web Site: A Step-by-Step Guide to Design and Options Kathy Schmidt
Building the Service-Based Library Web Site: 1 Step-by-Step Guide to Design and Options, by Kristel L. Garlock and Sherry Piontek. Chicago: America] Library Association, 1996. 101~. $25.00. ISBF o-8389-0674-5. If you have not already started creating a library wel page and feel overwhelmed at the prospect, this boo1 may help get you started. There are many books avail able that give advice on how to build web pages bu very few that are specific to libraries. This softcove volume gives a helpful overview of how to go abou planning for a web page. There are often political am strategic plans that need to be made when creating i site. Design issues can overshadow the importance o defining a page’s audience or incorporating the we1 page into the rest of the library’s services, and these an the points that are highlighted in the text. What tht book does not do is go into details on how to codt pages. Although there is an appendix with some simph home pages, there is no overall explanation of HTML coding. This kind of detail will have to come from other generic how-to-create-a-web-site books. The first chapter is a very basic overview of why libraries might be interested in having a home page There are ideas given for ways a library would use 2 home page. These ideas range from presenting loca: information about the library to creating new library services and resources. The ideas are accompanied by screen shots of actual library home pages. In additior the web addresses on these samples are readable so thai
- TERESA MALINOWSKI
-