Commentaries on:

Evans, G. Edward and Zarnosky, Margaret R. Developing library and information center collections. 4th ed., Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 2000.  Chap. 6: Print-based serials
 

TAKE TO CLASS TO SHOW TO STUDENTS:
 

Ebsco, Faxon etc. printed catalogs

Ulrichs
 
 

SERIALS

Complex area to define:

SERIAL: publication in any medium
In successive parts
With numerical and chronological designation
Intended to be continued indefinitely

Includes:

PERIODICALS: serials with distinctive title
contain articles, stories and other writings by several contributors
normally appear at stated, regular intervals
usually follow monthly, quarterly or similar schedule
usually sold on fixed-price subscription basis
 
 

CATEGORIES

MAGAZINES
mass-market periodicals,
normally illustrated, typically weekly / monthly
Includes weekly news / comment magazines

JOURNALS
professional / technical / scientific periodicals;
normally higher intellectual level, more specialized,
often quarterly / bimonthly (lower frequency than magazines)
include TRANSACTIONS, PROCEEDINGS etc. of learned societies

NEWSPAPERS
high frequency, wide market,
general news from geographic viewpoint;
typical format, presentation, paper

NEWSLETTERS / BULLETINS / HOUSE ORGANS etc.
small circulation; limited interest;
(now going to Internet)

YEARBOOKS / INSTITUTIONAL REPORTS / ALMANACS / ANNUAL PROCEEDINGS
mostly corporate / institutional

SUPERSEDING SERIALS
(often) discard old as new arrives; e.g. telephone books, statistical data;
can be looseleaf (labor-intensive maintenance, now going to electronic formats)

MONOGRAPHIC SERIES
Numbered; also cataloged individually as books

Do these categories seem reasonable?
 

PRESENTATION
traditionally printed publications;

CD-ROMs / Databases
(full text or index and delivery system)

Electronic journals

LIBRARIES acquire all types:
scientific, technical, professional and news oriented publications etc.,
according to organizational objectives
 

COMPARISON SERIALS / BOOKS:

Serials: most heavily used in scientific, technical areas
Books: most heavily used in humanities

Serials: ongoing commitment
Books: single purchases

Serials: regular binding normal
Books: often shelved for long periods in original binding (especially if hardbound)

Serials: regular check-in; problems common
Books: single-item receipt less problematic

Serials: ongoing storage commitment; cut-off by age
Books: individual items can be discarded according to library requirements

Serials: (especially popular magazines) more likely to be damaged / lost than books

Serials: more administrative problems than with books

Serials: loan system more complicated, often more restrictive than for books

Serials: often collective (committee) subscription decision (especially in large libraries)
Books: individual purchase decision (usually)

(Serials cataloging may be more complex than books?)

Are there other relevant factors?
 

SELECTION / CONTINUATION
Subscriptions: annual basis
Due to high / rising prices:
Annual renewal exercise is similar to a selection exercise

Larger institutions:
Committee decision
Represent all user groups

Decisions generally subjective
More "political" / controversial than other selection decisions
(Citation analysis possible in specialized areas)

Easy to identify core periodicals
Some subject areas: core titles very expensive; others cheaper
More difficult to identify additional titles
Request and examine (free) sample copies
 

CRITERIA FOR PERIODICAL SELECTION:

LIBRARY MISSION
Library mission statement / subject profile
Width and depth of subject coverage of library

VALUE FOR MONEY
(Serial prices normally increase faster than budget)
Create Change: faculty and librarians
reclaiming scholarly communication:
http://www.arl.org/create/home.html
"121 members of ARL spend about US$480 million
per year on journal collections"
(average approx. $4 million each)
Interactive display:
http://fisher.lib.Virginia.EDU/newarl/list.html
 

CONTINUITY
important for serials: avoid chopping and changing

INDEXED / ABSTRACTED
Title indexed / abstracted in major systems
ISI / (Social) Science Citation Index
ISI Journal Citation Reports:
http://www.isinet.com/isi/products/citation/jcr

Reader's Guide
http://www.hwwilson.com/databases/readersg.cfm

REPUTATION
of publisher (commercial / institutional)
Refereed / not refereed (scientific, technical, academic environment)
(Reputation of editor may occasionally be relevant in academic environment)
(Committee may avoid subscribing title if there is a risk / belief that it might fold)

ALTERNATIVE ACCESS
Alternative availability: in nearby libraries / on CD-ROMs / in electronic format /
via Document Delivery Services

ILL / document supply agency requests:
Illegal to use "fair use" free copies to replace subscriptions;
register requests; keep records for three years;
up to five requests from last five calendar years
then subscribe / pay Copyright Clearance Center
CONTU (National Commission on New Technological
Uses of Copyrighted Works)
Guidelines on photocopying and interlibrary arrangements (1976):
http://gaskell.library.ucla.edu/copyright/contu.htm

LANGUAGE
of (most) contributions / language of title

FORMAT
Difficulty in binding / storing / processing etc.

FREQUENT MODIFICATIONS
Frequent title changes: may be interpreted as indication of lack of seriousness on part of publisher
 

OTHER ASPECTS OF PERIODICAL SELECTION

Distinguish:

• Primary serials: items subscribed by the library
• Secondary serials: inter-library loan, document supply agency, consult in other libraries

Counting titles: periodicals only (exclude monograph series)
current titles only / all titles cataloged in library
(both current and no longer received)

Keep informed of new serial launches: sample copies; exhibitions

Back issues of periodicals can be very difficult to obtain
(secondhand books easier to obtain, especially nowadays with Internet based systems)
 

INFORMATION ABOUT PERIODICALS:

Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory. 1932 -

Paper: 38th ed. Bowker, 2000, 5 vols., 158,000 titles, $495
MAIN LIBRARY: Held behind Reference Desk. Z6941 P44

CD-ROM: $650 / year

Online: Dialog (file 480) / Ovid / Lexis-Nexis

http://www.ulrichsweb.com

Sample record from online service (from Dialog):

00129942           Bowker Accession Number: 377921XXX

Information Development ; the international journal for librarians, archivists and information specialists

Status:               Active

Publisher:          Bowker - Saur; A member of the Reed Elsevier plc group
                          Windsor Ct.
                          East Grinstead House
                          East Grinstead, W. Sussex RH19 1XA
                         England

                    Subscr. to: World Wide Distribution Service, Unit 4, Gibbs Reed Farm, Ticehurst, E. Sussex TN5 7HE, England

                    Orders in N. America to: R.R. Bowker, 121 Chanlon Rd., New Providence, NJ 07974
                          Telephone: 44-1342-326972
                          E-mail: custserv@bowker-saur.co.uk
                          URL: http://www.bowker-saur.co.uk; http://www.bipex.com
                          FAX 44-1342-335612; Subsc. 44-1580-200616; Other 908-508-7696

Editor:             Pub. Gerard Dummett; Ed. J. Stephen Parker

Country of Publication:   United Kingdom (UK)

First Published:  1985

Frequency:         Quarterly

Circulation:        500

Special Features:  Book Reviews

Document Type:  Trade Publication

Format:               Microfiche

Price:                 180 (N. America $135) (effective 1999)

ISSN:                 0266-6669

CODEN:            INDEE8

Dewey Decimal Call Number:         020

LC Call Number:   Z672

British Library Shelf Mark:  4493.538200

Document Suppliers:  UnCover

Availability Online:

Abstracting and Indexing Services:
                          Current Index to Journals in Education; Library & Information Science Abstracts; Lib.Lit. (1987- ); Consumers Index; Cement Research Institute of India Abstracts; Rural Extension, Education and Training Abstracts; World Agricultural Economics & Rural Sociology Abstracts; INSPEC: Computers & Control Abstracts (1985- ); Periodica Islamica (1994- ); Research into Higher Education Abstracts

Listed in:           Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory

Subject Headings:  LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCES (00001661)

Notes:
Contains articles, news, Web site evaluations, and book reviews on current issues, problems and trends in information work throughout the world, with particular emphasis on the needs and concerns of developing countries.
back issues avail.
Adv.
Text in English
 

OTHER SOURCES:

Magazines for libraries; edited by Bill Katz. 10th ed. New York : Bowker, 2000.
First published 1969.
Latest edition shelved behind Reference desk. REFERENCE FOLIO Z6941 .M23
Notable for well-written critical reviews and comments on suitability of titles for specific types of library. Author evaluated new magazines for many years in Library Journal. Introduction includes interesting discussion of electronic formats; e-journals are listed separately, at the end of each section, after the print publications.

The International Directory of Little Magazines and Small Presses; ed. Len Fulton. 35rd ed.: 1999-2000. El Cerrito, CA, Dustbooks, 1999. First published 1965.
Latest edition shelved behind Reference desk. REFERENCE Z6944.L5 D5
http://www.dustbooks.com/lilmag.htm
Much information for authors who wish to submit poems, fiction etc. to small literary magazines;
also covers a wide variety of other small circulation periodicals.

PubList: free information / links for 150,000 periodicals:
http://www.publist.com/
 

SUBSCRIPTIONS TO PERIODICALS:
Direct / via Subscription agent
 

DIRECT FROM PUBLISHERS

Advantages: lower prices;
Disadvantage: much more work to subscribe / claim
Certain publications will be obtained directly in all libraries
even if the majority of publications come via an agent:
research association, professional association serials; local materials.
 

SUBSCRIPTION (Serials) AGENTS

Activities:
Identify serials; publish list, maintain database
Accept subscriptions for periodicals from libraries
Receive bulk periodicals from publishers
Organize, label, distribute
Claims for missing issues etc
High level of organization / automation
Margin between price charged to libraries /
discounted price paid to publishers.

Basically services for libraries
Maintain contact with / confidence of library
Inform price trends
Established / major companies:
commercial advantage.

Recent developments:
All agents offering e-journals,
electronic databases (tendency towards full-service subscriptions)
Electronic contact with agent.

Advantages for libraries:
one invoice;
deal with one organization;
lower administration costs.

http://www.ebsco.com/home/
Birmingham, AL
Founder sold magazine subscriptions door to door 1930s
4,000 employees; 32 offices; 21 countries; works with 49,000 publishers;
Database: 260,000 titles.

http://www.faxon.com/
Massachusetts, Virginia, Illinois; 1881 -
Claimed annual sales over $500 million for early 90s
Follow Industry resources / Price projections
for price increases
1999 being taken over by RoweCom
business to business e-commerce company
President: Dr. Richard R. Rowe,
formerly President and CEO of the Faxon Company
240,000 magazine titles
Publicly-available online guide:
http://www.faxon.com/guide/default.htm
(scroll down for comprehensive search tips).

http://www.swetsblackwell.com/
Major European subscription agency:
1999 merger of subscription departments of:
Swets & Zeitlinger; Netherlands; (25 miles from Amsterdam
1901 -   Scientific bookshop, library supplier; backset supplier) and
Blackwell's: Oxford, England
Major supplier of books, especially to academic libraries
Swetsblackwell:
Deals with 65,000 publishers
Database has 250,000 titles
E-Media catalogue: 10.500 electronic publications

http://www.swets.nl/index.html

http://www.blackwell.com/
 

FUTURE PROSPECTS FOR SUBSCRIPTION AGENTS:
Good:

• library can have single access / password to variety of electronic journals / sources
• agents will handle licensing
• create unified gateways
• verify that promised electronic material was really posted.

ARCHIVING BACK SETS

Written policy, based on:

Frequency of use of older issues

Existence of electronic versions
(CD-ROM, database, Internet)
(e.g. newspapers: may be available via Dialog / Internet etc.)

Availability at nearby library / via Document Supply Agency / ILL etc.
(more than five years old: can request freely via ILL0

Currency of information:
rule of thumb with print serials:
the higher the frequency,
the shorter the archival time:
daily, weekly publications:
discarded relatively soon
quarterly periodicals:
more likely to contain permanently useful information

Special libraries:
most likely to have specific time limits:
"Discard after 5 (7, 10) years"
School Libraries, (small) Public Libraries:
similar rules for periodicals,
especially those for popular audiences

Public Library standards: Kansas:

CATEGORIES OF LIBRARIES:
Gateway Libraries                                   Fewer than 500 people
Linking Libraries                                      500-1000 people
Service Centers                                      1000-2500 people
Level I Major Service Centers                  2500-10,000 people
Level II Major Service Centers                10,000 - 25,000 people
Level I Major Resource Center                25,000 - 100,000 people
Level II Major Resource Centers             More than 100,000 people

PERIODICAL SUBSCRIPTIONS:
Library Type                Optimum Goal       Minimum Standard   Back Files Kept
Gateway                       20                             12                                1-2 yrs
Linking                          30                              20                                1-2 yrs
Service Center            75                                40                                3-5 yrs
Major Ser. Center I     150                              75                                 5-10 yrs
Major Ser. Center II     275                            150                                5-10 yrs
Major Res. Center I     450                             275                              10-15 yrs
Major Res. Center II    100 subscriptions           1000                          15-25 yrs
                                 per 10,000 persons

http://www.ink.org/public/link/fulltext/standard.txt