The Serials Department, 1975-1985

The increase in the number of serial publications, the growth of holdings in libraries, and the maturation of librarianship are seen as largely responsible for the development of a specialty in serials librarianship by the time of the American Library Association's centennial celebration in 1976. This development often resulted in the organization of a separate serials department. In the decade following the ALA centennial several trends (e.g., economic stringency and automation) have converged to cause a re-evaluation of organizational patterns. In particular, the form versus function debate regarding serials organization is examined by reviewing professional activities and the published literature.     

Serials standards work: the next frontier

Serials, one of the more complicated areas of library technical endeavors, has lacked the benefit of standards for a long time. Even now, with standards beginning to be available, the majority of institutions are not working within standard serials formats. A survey to determine the use of serials standards in libraries was conducted in 1988 by the American Library Association, Resources and Technical Services Division, Serials Section, Committee to Study Serials Standards. In the spring of 1988 a survey was sent to a group encompassing the Association of Research Libraries members, CONSER participants, United States Newspaper Program participants, Microform Project libraries, and some vendors and librarians who attended the Committee meetings on a regular basis. The survey questionnaire assessed the current level of serials standards awareness of librarians and vendors. Topics included the type of serials systems used, standards relevant to serials control and union listing and whether or not they are implemented, types and levels of training staff received in the application of standards, benefits of the standards, and areas where standards are most needed.     

Basic List of Veterinary Medical Serials 2nd Edition, 1981, With Revisions to April 1, 1986

This article contains a list of core veterinary serials that the Veterinary Medical Libraries Section of the Medical Library Association feels should be in any veterinary medical library serving an institution accredited by the Council on Education of the American Veterinary Medical Association. It is a list that can serve as a nucleus from which the collection can be further developed as determined by the research thrust of the institution that the library is serving. An adjunct list of important human medical and general science serials is also included to help guide the librarian in developing the collection.     

Library Reorganization,Chaos, and Using the Core Competencies as a Guide

Starting in the fall of 2012, the staff at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) Library began to plan for a library-wide reorganization of staff and services. Every staff member would be affected by the reorganization process, including the library’s serials and e-resources team. In what could be a most chaotic time, the serials and e-resources team chose to use the North American Serials Interest Group (NASIG) draft version of core competencies for electronic resource librarians as a guide to help in selecting members for the e-resources team that would emerge following the reorganization. The presentation on which this article is based reviews the situation at UTA, the core competencies, and how the serials/e-resources team used the core competencies along with a self-assessment tool to help select the most qualified staff for the team.     

Introducing Serials Education

A librarian new to serials work has much to learn. In addition to learning on the job, other aids are available. Self-help advice is offered and some American Library Association programs are described, with an emphasis on the Serials Section of the Resources and Technical Services Division.     

Filling the Gap in Serials Education

A review is presented of the creation, activities and evolution of the Regional Serials Committee of the Serials Section of the American Library Association's Resources and Technical Services Division. For approximately ten years the committee has been using various means to evaluate serials matters and to inform librarians concerning these. The committee has sponsored workshops and published helpful manuals. Energies are now being directed toward the collecting of educational materials to be used in serials/training for acquisitions, check in, claiming, cataloging, binding, retrospective conversion, public service and automation. These materials are to be made available to interested librarians.     

The Latin American Cancer Research Information Project (LACRIP): an evaluation of its development in Mexico

In 1979 the National Cancer Institute, the Pan American Health Organization, and the Latin American Information and Documentation Center (Brazil) jointly sponsored the Latin American Cancer Information Project. This paper reports the objectives, development, and utilization of this service as it is administered by the National Health Information Documentation Center in Mexico. Evaluation of the project provides insight into problems of information dissemination in countries that are experiencing great economic instability.     

Bibliographical control in Thailand

The most extensive program is located in Brazil at the Universidad Federal Minas Gerais which has 16 faculty members and in 1976-79 had among them a British (American educated) and an American library educator.

Several schools reported “type of library” courses or specialized bibliography courses which could provide an appropriate locus for basic biomedical bibliographic information.

Considering the health problems all countries are facing, library schools in Latin America should be encouraged to make a stronger effort to train individuals for this subject area. The American Association of Library Schools has been prominent in its support of co-operative efforts with Latin American educators as perhaps best exemplified by its Austin, Texas meeting in 1980 when the pre-conference entitled “Library and Information Science Education in the Americas: Present and Future” was held.

However, Latin American educators themselves, encouraged by IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions) are making efforts to continuously upgrade their teaching. Evidence of this can be found in IFLA’s pre-conferences at the August 1982 Montreal meeting.     

Identifying the Serials Librarian: Serials-Related Position Titles in the United States and Around the World

Serials are a familiar academic job responsibility, but serials librarians are becoming difficult to identify. While serials continue to exist, the transition from print to electronic resources contributes to a trend in which the job titles of librarians who manage serials no longer include the word “serials.” A content analysis was conducted to examine the prevalence of the word “serials,” as well as common synonyms including “continuing resources” and “periodicals,” in U.S. and non-U.S. academic library job titles. In a sample of 98 U.S. national and regional universities and colleges, 18 librarian and 98 staff job titles were found that included the word “serials” or a synonym for serials. By comparison, a sample of 71 universities from 8 non-U.S. countries revealed 17 librarian and 85 staff job titles that included the word “serials” or a synonym for serials.     

Interlibrary Lending in Mexican,Caribbean, Central American,and South American Libraries

This article reports on a survey to Mexican, Caribbean, Central American, and South American libraries about interlibrary loan services and activities. It builds on previous studies and reports in an attempt to address a void in current interlibrary lending literature concerning Latin American libraries’ interlibrary lending services.     

The Integrated Serials Department

Historically, serials departments have been organized in diverse ways. The integrated serials department arrangement, including all serials functions, facilitates bibliographic control, provides effective service to the library user and promotes better communication. This study maintains the need for the integrated central serials department, with the University of Oklahoma Libraries Serials Department used as an example. The conclusion is reached that the automation of serials reinforces the need for a separate serials department.     

“My Child is Your Child”: Family Behavior in a Mexican Science Museum

Abstract In this paper we describe the particularities of Latin American museum visitors as learners through an exploratory study that took place at Universum, Museo de las Ciencias, a science museum located in Mexico City. The exploration of the learning experiences of Latin American family groups was carried out by means of a case study approach and from a socio‐cultural theory perspective. This inquiry of 20 family groups reveals that nuances of the concept of “family,” in the Mexican context, are important in studying family learning in museum settings. The prominent roles of the extended family and interactions within family groups are discussed as intrinsic traits of a family’s museum learning. In addition, the outcomes of this study highlight the impact that the Latin American notion of educación has on museum education and research, as it encompasses issues that relate to the perpetuation of socio‐cultural values, child‐rearing, and ultimately, cultural identity.     

SERIALS DEPARTMENTS

Because tasks and materials related to serials processing and use are often dispersed in a library, serials specialists must develop personal influence strategies and use informal communication systems that cross organizational lines and boundaries. In the absence of a serials department, therefore, serials specialists and informal serials communication systems will continue to exist. There is wide agreement that informal communication systems do emerge spontaneously in organizations and that individuals without formally conferred authority may use various types of personal influence strategies to accomplish organizational objectives. While serials processing and public service could be most efficiently handled through a serials department, informal communication systems, utilized by serials specialists, will develop if such a department does not exist. In determining if a serials department has a place in a particular library organization, library planners should be concerned about natural communication channels and should, in addition, try to identify individuals who can communicate effectively across organizational barriers.     

高校图书馆纸质报刊服务提升策略

当前,探讨纸质报刊服务仍有现实意义。本文分析了高校图书馆纸质期刊现状,指出读者利用呈递减现象,纸质期刊数量减少,专业杂志收藏较少。重点从给予读者订购纸质报刊权利,逐步增加纸质报刊种类,积极提供纸质报刊阅读推荐服务,提供短期外借服务等七个方面对普通高校图书馆纸质报刊服务提升给出了可行性建议。     

Education for acquisitions and serials librarianship: The students' view

This study analyzes 27 student essays provided in response to examination questions on whether or not courses in acquisitions and serials should be included in the library school curriculum. The preponderance of student opinion supports a course in serials. Such a course should take a broad and integrated view of serials, encompassing serials publication and distribution, new technologies associated with serials, serials management and processing in libraries, serialsbased information services, and administrative, budget, and policy issues associated with serials. The majority of students did not support a course in acquisitions. Although recognized as an important library function, acquisitions was seen as lacking in “appropriate academic content” for the format of a three credit-hour course.     

ANDREW OSBORN AND THE LIBRARY WORLD OF HIS TIME

Andrew Osborn brought remarkable personal characteristics from Australia to American librarianship, where they were greatly enhanced at two great libraries, then carried back to Sydney, Australia, and later into library science teaching. Author of a crucially influential paper in the technical processing of this century and of a massively authoritative book on the handling of serials, participant in a series of major projects in librarianship, immersed in international librarianship, Osborn looms as a major influence in a generation of outstanding librarians.     

Serials in the Libyan Jamahiriya,Past and Present

The article deals with serials publication and their acquisition and management of serials in libraries in the Great Socialist Peoples' Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. The introduction of printing and the earliest serials published in Arabic are detailed. Recent changes in government policies affecting general conditions in the country and expected changes in publication policies are discussed. Two lists containing serials published prior to 1975 and a third, consisting of current serials published under Green Book theories, are annexed.     

Approaches,Techniques, and Criteria for Serials Evaluation in the Electronic Environment

Abstract

An overview of traditional methods of evaluating serials collections and serial titles is presented and applied to electronic resources. Traditional methods such as holdings, checklist, conspectus, availability studies, document delivery studies, citation studies and use studies used for the evaluation of serials collections in print can be modified for the evaluation of electronic serials collections. Issues, problems and challenges associated with electronic serials evaluation are then outlined, and conclusions that emphasize the continuing importance of serials evaluation in the electronic environment are drawn.     

Serials Organization

A revolution in serials work has occurred during the last decade as libraries have moved from manual operations to the age of automation. For economic and technological reasons, a renewed interest in the organization of serials activities has developed, and there is debate between those who favor continuing the separate serials department (organization by form) and those who favor merging serials activities into other departments (organization by function). In this study, the views of each school of thought are considered. The conclusion is reached that serials specialists must organize, anticipate and plan for further organizational changes.     

Serials and Automation

An attempt is made to demonstrate that the frustrations and difficulties created for serials departments by the introduction of automation are coming to an end that the principal benefit automation provides the making of serials information immediately available to users-is making itself felt. It is indicated also that irony resides in the fact that the computer, which in its early uses proved refractory, now makes the work of the serials person as simple and effective as in the days of the manual check in arrangement. Some predictions are made as to the look of serials and serials departments in coming years.