Serials Management at the Local Library

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Serials Management at the Local Library

• LIBR 155
• Fall 2005
• N. Mathieson

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Serials Technician

• The serials technician at my local library has
  been in her position several years. In addition
  to managing the serials collection, she manages
  the meeting room scheduling, and has regular
  rotations on to the floor to staff the help desk
  and the childrens area desk.

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Magazines Newspapers

• Our public library has 130 magazine titles, from
  the Advocate to Z Magazine, that circulate.
• In addition to magazines, the library receives
• The Herald (town paper) 3 copies
• News Tribune (Tacoma)
• Seattle PI
• Seattle Times
• USA Today
• Wall Street Journal
• as well as various other business journals
• The library also has a small collection of
  Spanish language magazines and newspapers.

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Acquisitions

• The library uses EBSCO to manage its magazine
  subscriptions. Local papers are ordered from the
  source.
• EBSCO services they use
• Catalogs, including a catalog of childrens
  titles and Spanish language titles.
• EBSCO recommends and facilitates a single annual
  renewal date.
• Annual renewal list
• Spine labels (many titles have a years worth of
  spine labels available for 69 that include
  magazine name and date.)
• Customer service
• Services are available online, but this
  technician prefers speaking with her customer
  service representative by phone.
• Claims (issues never received) and claims
  follow-up
• Sample issues (for librarians to review when
  deciding on new titles)

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Low Tech Serial Management

• The library is in the process of researching
  replacement programs for their DOS based Dynix
  library software.
• The library does not currently have a serials
  module for the technician to use.
• When a new system is purchased they do not plan
  on purchasing a serials module because of budget
  concerns.
• In the absence of a computerized management tool
  to use for serials, the technician has created
  several Excel spreadsheets that help her manage
  her responsibilities.
• One spreadsheet, an alphabetical listing of
  titles, becomes a paper log in record. (Missed
  copies are claimed).
• Another spreadsheet is used to calculate and
  report circulations. This information needs to
  be available for the librarians as they select
  and deselect titles in time for the renewal
  deadline, usually 4 months before renewal date.

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Selection

• The magazine titles are selected by several
  librarians.
• Adult Service Librarian - adult titles
• Young Adult Librarian - titles for teenagers
• Childrens Services Librarian - titles for
  children
• The librarians are guided by the librarys
  mission statement and selection policy in their
  choices.
• When a patron wants to give a gift subscription
  to the library, the librarians will review the
  titles suitability according to the library
  selection policy.
• During the year patrons may request new magazine
  titles. These requests are considered during an
  annual collection review.
• The serials technician collects the requests for
  new magazine titles all year, and then prepares a
  presentation on the titles. Besides researching
  the requested titles, the serials technician
  requests sample issues through EBSCO for the
  librarians to review.

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Renewals

• Each year, six months before the common renewal
  date, EBSCO sends a list of the current magazine
  titles being received.
• Part of the renewal process requires the
  technician prepare a circulation report for each
  title.
• The serials budget isnt expected to grow much.
  If a new magazine is decided upon, one that
  doesnt circulate will need to be dropped.
• The technician does not have an automated report
  that she may run to give her circulation figures.
  She has to view each periodical record and
  calculate the circulations as part of the data
  the librarians consider in making collection
  changes.

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Research on Patron Magazine Requests

• The serials technician uses her EBSCO resources,
  which include the catalog description and free
  samples of magazine titles as part of her
  presentation.
• The serials technician also locates magazine web
  sites that are available to gather additional
  information to help the librarians in their
  selection decisions.

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Processing Magazines

• The serials technician benefits from 8 hours,
  over 2 days a week, from a volunteer to help with
  serials. They have divided the processing
  responsibilities between them. A work slip is
  attached to each magazine and the processes
  performed indicated on the slip.
• Because her tasks are often interrupted by other
  responsibilities, the library technician still
  makes sure to do her portion of the processing
  the day before her valued volunteer will be
  available.

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Processing Volunteer Responsibilities

• Log in the issues received
• On the spreadsheet print out the volunteer notes
  the issues as they are received. If an issue is
  received and the previous months issue has not
  been received she will highlight the month not
  received, and inform the technician for claiming.
• Property stamp at the bottom of the
  title/contents page
• Apply security tape to magazine titles that have
  typically ended up missing.
• Affix the spine label (a years worth of
  title/month spine labels are available for most
  titles from EBSCO for 69)
• Spine labels are placed on the back cover of the
  magazine, near the top, near the spine. This
  placement facilitates shelving and the locating
  of specific months shelved in the Pendleton
  files. If spine labels are not available for a
  particular title, the volunteer types a label.
• Apply tape to spine of high use magazines
• If the magazine has been barcoded, that signals
  the volunteer the issue has been entered in the
  computer, and she will replace the issue
  currently in the security display binder with
  this newest issue.
• The issues that have been removed from the
  display binders must now be checked in from their
  status of in process to make them available for
  check out.
• The magazines that are now available for check
  out are filed in the appropriate Pendleton file.

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Processing Serial Technician

• Because her valued volunteer has taken on the
  responsibility of the physical processing of the
  magazines, the technician may use her limited
  time for cataloging, adding subjects to serial
  records where previously there were none,
  claiming, spreadsheet updating, and researching
  new titles requested.
• The barcode is placed on the back cover close to
  the spine and near the bottom of the cover.
• The call number entered is the month and year of
  the issue.

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Spine Label and Barcode Placement
Back cover of magazine.
Spin label placement, facilitates finding the
month and year you want shelved in a Pendleton
file..
Barcode placement
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Adult Magazine Display Storage
The current issue is placed in a magazine display
binder and is not available for check out.
Status is considered in process.
Back issues are placed in Pendleton files on the
shelf underneath the moveable display shelf.
These issues may be checked out.
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Serial Cataloging

• The technician has made a point of adding
  relevant Library of Congress subject headings to
  the otherwise brief MARC records she inherited.
• This surely benefits the librarians as they help
  patrons look for information, when search results
  direct them also to the periodicals.
• Current cataloging practice here is to have a
  separate MARC record for each year of a title.
  (see next slide)
• The magazine call number entered for each title
  is some form of the issues month and year.

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Separate MARC Record per Year
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(No Transcript)
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Serial MARC Record Fields Library of Congress

• LC Control Number 98660870
• Type of Material Serial (Periodical, Newspaper,
  etc.)
• Main Title Martha Stewart living.
• Portion of Title Living
• Serial Key Title Martha Stewart living
• Abbreviated Title Martha Stewart living
• Published/Created New York, NY Time, Inc.
  Magazine Co., 1990-
• Related Names Stewart, Martha.
• Description v. ill. (chiefly col.) 28 cm.
• No. 1 (winter 1990)-
• Current Frequency Monthly,
• Former Frequency 10 no. a year,
• Quarterly, 1990-
• Bimonthly,
• ISSN 1057-5251
• Incorrect ISSN 1057-5257
• Cancel/Invalid LCCN sn 91002805

• Notes Title from cover. SERBIB/SERLOC merged
  record
• Has Supplement Martha Stewart baby (DLC)
  2003210539 (OCoLC)48589396
• Subjects Home economics--Periodicals.
• LC Classification TX1 .M27
• Dewey Class No. 640/.5 21
• Postal Reg. No. 007943 USPS
• Other System No. (OCoLC)ocm23473583
• Repro./Stock No. Time, Inc. Magazine Co., Room
  7-33, Rockefeller Center, New York, NY 10020-1393
  
• Serial Record Entry Martha Stewart living.
  98-660870
• Repository universal pattern
• Quality Code nsdp lc
• The Library of Congress MARC record has included
  information regarding the ISSN, current and
  former frequency history, Dewey class number, and
  description.
• It is possible to save an LC record and import it
  into some library databases, or to email or save
  a description of the cataloging for duplicating
  in your librarys catalog.

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Holdings, Repairs, and Binding

• The librarys holdings goal for most magazine
  titles are to retain the current year plus two.
• Holdings for newspapers are 6 months. Newspapers
  do not circulate.
• Minor repairs are performed.
• Three copies of the local city paper are
  received.
• One copy is placed in the library for patrons.
• The second copy goes to the lunch room for staff.
• The last copy is kept in the workroom and when 6
  months have been accumulated, the newspaper is
  sent to be bound.

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Electronic Access to Serials for Research

• The librarys reference service includes
  subscriptions to databases that index articles
  from newspapers, trade journals, popular
  magazines, professional journals and specialty
  publications. Some articles are available with
  the entire text and some with only a citation.

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Newspaper, Magazine Journal Databases

• Expanded Academic ASAPThis database meets
  research needs across all academic disciplines.
• InfoTrac OneFileInfoTrac is a one-stop source
  for news and periodicals on a wide range of
  topics.
• ProQuestThis is a general index of articles from
  over 2,800 magazines and journals, 800 trade
  journals, and newspapers from Washington.
• ProQuest is provided jointly by the Washington
  State Library and the Puyallup Public Library,
  and is funded in part with federal LSTA funds.
• LegalTracArticles from all major law reviews,
  law journals, specialty journals, and legal
  newspapers are available.