More Than Things

Abstract

The often invisible labor of serials, technical services, metadata, and electronic resources workers sits in the space between required and preferred, assessment and surveillance. Although libraries and information workers did not explicitly create the systems many of us live in, we are responsible for their everyday functioning. In many ways the narratives from technical services to the library are centered in objects: item counts, COUNTER stats, door counts, discovery, and other transactional data. And yet, we are stewards and maintainers, innovators and storytellers of the countless ways these objects are experienced. How can we help our colleagues understand the outreach component of this work? How do we responsibly confront power in our systems—which often miscalculates the necessity of care in favor of the shiny? What does it mean to honor expertise behind the scenes, and how might we gain agency in our systems once more?     

Me and My Shadow: Observation,Documentation, and Analysis of Serials and Electronic Resources Workflow

Abstract

Librarians in the Metadata & Cataloging Department at the North Carolina State University (NCSU) Libraries embarked on a comprehensive project to document and review the Libraries' serials and electronic resources workflow with the goals of introducing greater efficiency, clarity, and simplicity into processes across the serials unit and of increasing training opportunities for department-wide understanding of the serials lifecycle. This paper examines the method used to observe and collect information about serials and electronic resources work, the process of synthesizing that information into a graphical representation of the serials lifecycle, and the workflow analysis undertaken to introduce improved serials processes. The value of the project is demonstrated through a discussion of efforts for workflow education, analysis, and improvement at the NCSU Libraries directly instigated by review of the process documentation by technical services staff members.     

Serials Staffing for the Twenty-First Century and Beyond

Abstract

This article provides an overview of the technical services issues relating to the future of serials staffing, particularly for serials catalogers. Trends in cataloging procedures, technical services reorganizations, and the changing roles of professional and paraprofessional employees affect present and future responsibilities of serials work. The author also examines major technological innovations that have affected staffing needs, including journals in electronic format, vendor-supplied holdings data, automatic generation of bibliographic records, and the potential implications of proposed serials cataloging rule changes on the way in which serials will be managed in libraries. Serials Review 2002; 28:195–200.     

Me and My Shadow: Observation,Documentation, and Analysis of Serials and Electronic Resources Workflow

Librarians in the Metadata & Cataloging Department at the North Carolina State University (NCSU) Libraries embarked on a comprehensive project to document and review the Libraries' serials and electronic resources workflow with the goals of introducing greater efficiency, clarity, and simplicity into processes across the serials unit and of increasing training opportunities for department-wide understanding of the serials lifecycle. This paper examines the method used to observe and collect information about serials and electronic resources work, the process of synthesizing that information into a graphical representation of the serials lifecycle, and the workflow analysis undertaken to introduce improved serials processes. The value of the project is demonstrated through a discussion of efforts for workflow education, analysis, and improvement at the NCSU Libraries directly instigated by review of the process documentation by technical services staff members.     

The Effects of E-journal Management Tools and Services on Serials Cataloging

Abstract

E-journal management tools and services such as MARC record services, A-to-Z lists, and link resolvers are changing e-journal cataloging. This column explores these changes in the academic environment through interviews with ten librarians representing eight universities. Three areas of change in serials cataloging are explored: (1) changes to the MARC record, including how libraries are adding/creating MARC records for their catalogs, the number and type of MARC records being created and linking within MARC bibliographic and holdings records; (2) the manner in which serials catalogers are being informed of changes; and (3) the evolving role of the serials cataloger. Future trends and advice for evolving workflow practices conclude the discussion.     

Serial Joy and Serial Sorrow: The Experience of the Paraprofessional Serials Manager

Abstract

Paraprofessionals play a major role in the management of serials operations in libraries. Nine paraprofessional serials managers responded to an inquiry on the SERIALST online discussion list in which they shared their impressions on several issues relating to their role, status, motivation, and general perceptions about their work. For many years, there has been an ongoing debate relating to the role of paraprofessionals in libraries. Many library paraprofessionals have advanced their careers in the field of serials and have become managers of high-level operations. This Balance Point column explores the experiences of some of these paraprofessional serials managers.     

Global Information Needs before and after the Web

Abstract

A co-editor of “The Balance Point” column looks back at its twenty-year history, its current function and its future in serving the serials professional and scholarly community. The author examines how the column emerged as an idea by then Serials Review editor Cindy Hepfer in 1988 to be a forum on important serials issues for practitioners who might not otherwise write formally on these topics. The column has continued though the 1990s and 2000s to provide that function, as well as serve as an important place where authors are invited to explore serial issues much in need of a balanced approach. The author shares comments from past “Balance Point” column editors, John Riddick, Mary Beth Clack, Ellen Finnie Duranceau, Karen Cargille, Markel Tumlin, and Kay Johnson on how they regarded the column, the rewards and challenges they faced, and how they see the future of this format in an evolving electronic communication milieu.     

Document Delivery as a Supplement or Replacement for Serial Subscriptions

Abstract

Increasing serials costs and shrinking budgets present challenges for academic libraries to continue providing sufficient access to scholarly articles. Rapid document delivery services can serve as an effective means to fill the gap caused by serials cancellations. This column examines several of the existing document delivery service providers and addresses issues involved in their implementation.     

Confession Magazines

Abstract

The results of this survey underscore the controversy surrounding the elimination of OCLC's Serials Control Subsystem. The survey evoked responses more numerous and fervent than I anticipated when the project began. As might be expected, those libraries that used the system more extensively and checked in the higher number of formats on SCS were most likely to describe the impact of SCS's elimination as serious. Most of the respondents expected that their immediate choice for a new serials control system would be permanent. As one respondent commented, “…librarians cannot afford to be switching serials control systems every few years.” Among libraries using the Serials Control Subsystem, approximately one-third chose to switch to OCLC's SC350, but no alternative serials system emerged as the second choice.     

Kansas Periodicals

Abstract

Many changes in the Law School Library have occurred during this past year because of INNOVACQ. Within the Serials/Acquisitions Section, almost all the routines and procedures have been radically redefined to allow for the computerization of serials control. There have been some staff reassignments and shifts in responsibility, and in most instances, old tasks and manual file maintenance have been done away with completely and replaced by work at a VDT. Naturally, the impact of INNOVACQ has also been felt in the Cataloging Section, and the instant availability of serials check-in and routing information in public services has certainly added a level of service that was never possible before. In addition, the immediate and up-to-date fiscal information has been a boon for both the library's collection development officers and the Library administration.

Various staff members throughout the year have been working to clean up and upgrade different parts of the serials files and to add or exchange better information in a number of fields in each record. Past payment history has been keyed into over 2/3 of the records in the file. The records for all the loose-leaf services contracted for by the Library are not fully online.

All the records for our California documents have been edited and check-in cards have been created for this large and obviously important part of the file. Conversion of the U.S. documents which had been deferred at the very beginning of the fiscal year, has begun and most entries now can be checked-in and claimed online.

All invoices (both serials and monographs) for this fiscal year have been processed on INNOVACQ, and while there are still some vendor and fund anomalies, Boalt has better, more comprehensive — and certainly more accurate — financial records than ever before.

A massive editing and claiming project has recently gotten under way. All titles on INNOVACQ are being checked against the shelf list to make sure that all the bibliographic elements in each record are in sync and are presented in a standard, retrievable (punctuation and spacing count in INNOVACQ) format. Routine claiming (as part of serials check-in) has been in place for some time now, and that activity was begun when that feature was delivered. A second part of the editing project, is however, to get the thousands of blank boxes out of the check-in screens where they will remain as claimable items until some sort of purging action is taken. The files are now being gone through (a simple command in INNOVACQ can allow one to review every check-in record in the system), our holdings are being checked on the shelves, and decisions to claim or replace the missing pieces are being made. We anticipate that this editing/ claiming project will take approximately half a year.

The INNOVACQ system was pretty exciting when we first saw it demonstrated, and we were eager then to incorporate it into our technical processing activities here at Boalt. If anything, our enthusiasm has grown as the capabilities of INNOVACQ have been realized. Enhancement and refinement — some at our prompting, others by the design staff at Innovative Interfaces — over the past year have resulted in what we believe to be the most comprehensive and easy-to-use serials control system available. Our confidence was manifested when we shifted all of our acquisitions activities from RLIN to INNOVAQ at the beginning of our fiscal year in mid-1984.

Many tasks remain for the Law Library in making the best use of the INNOVACQ system. The rapid acceptance by the public service staff and users has been heartening, and the continuing work to clean up the Serials Records has proven fruitful. System performance and maintenance have been outstanding, and we are excited about various possibilities for future growth. It has not been a simple nor uncomplicated process, but the gains realized by the Law library have been substantial.     

Using EZproxy and Google Analytics to Evaluate Electronic Serials Usage

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the study is to evaluate electronic usage statistics for Belk Library at Elon University. The Electronic Resources Office (ERO) collects usage data for all serials—both print and electronic—, ebooks, and electronic databases. This study used ezPAARSE and Google Analytics to analyze the data from our website, and we will use these data to compare our vendor statistics to get a more complete picture of how the library's electronic resources are being used.     

Reports of Conferences,Institutes, and Seminars

Abstract

This quarter’s column offers a report from the 2018 annual meeting of the Ex Libris Users of North America (ELUNA), as well as coverage of sessions from the annual meeting of the Northern Ohio Technical Services Librarians (NOTSL). A handful of reports were also collected from courses offered at the FORCE11 Scholarly Communications Institute. Topics covered include features within ExLibris’s Alma library that support print serials operations, current and future developments in serials librarianship, and critiques about open peer review.     

Management of Electronic Serials in Academic Libraries: The Results of an Online Survey

Abstract

This article presents the results of an online survey of academic librarians conducted in 2011 on the topic of electronic serials management. Since online journals had by 2011 become a major part of academic library serials collections, a central objective of this survey was to explore whether this had led to any degree of standardization in online serials management procedures across academic libraries. The focus of the survey was generally on issues affecting technical services, specifically exploring the impact of electronic serials on collection development, library staffing, and serials management tools. The responses to the survey did not reflect any significant level of uniformity among these libraries in any of these areas, suggesting that libraries primarily take into account the needs of their own institutions when formulating procedures for managing online serials.     

A Review of Laura S. Young's Bookbinding & Conservation by Hand: A Working Guide

Abstract

University librarians in China face many of the same challenges related to serials management that confront librarians in the United States. The authors discuss the importance for librarians in the United States, especially those working with serials, to establish and build ties with librarians in other countries, such as China. Benefits of an exchange could include sharing information about best practices, exchange of serial materials, and working together on mutually advantageous projects. Acknowledging the growing interest in international library exchange programs, the authors relate their own institution's efforts to build international ties with Fudan University in Shanghai, China, and Shaanxi Normal University in Xi'an, China. In establishing these ties, the authors have traveled to China and interviewed librarians about serials acquisition, processing, and management.     

The Effects of E-journal Management Tools and Services on Serials Cataloging

E-journal management tools and services such as MARC record services, A-to-Z lists, and link resolvers are changing e-journal cataloging. This column explores these changes in the academic environment through interviews with ten librarians representing eight universities. Three areas of change in serials cataloging are explored: (1) changes to the MARC record, including how libraries are adding/creating MARC records for their catalogs, the number and type of MARC records being created and linking within MARC bibliographic and holdings records; (2) the manner in which serials catalogers are being informed of changes; and (3) the evolving role of the serials cataloger. Future trends and advice for evolving workflow practices conclude the discussion.     

Remote Work in Library Technical Services: Connecting Historical Perspectives to Realities of the Developing COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The concept and practice of remote work in library technical services is not new, but the scale and speed of the transition to remote work for many libraries due to the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented. This column provides an overview of pre-pandemic literature on remote work in library technical services and briefly examines the history, planning, case studies, technology and equity concerns, challenges, and potential benefits of remote work. Initial connections are drawn between existing literature and the impact of the pandemic on remote work, and future directions for research and discussion are offered.