The United States Book Exchange

Abstract

Serials Review visits the United States Book Exchange in Cleveland, Ohio. The staff of this nonprofit organization supplies back issues to over 2,000 member libraries in addition to nonmember libraries in the United States and the world. The tour will examine how this exchange is organized and how electronic access to journal literature has changed its emphasis. Serials Review 29:318–320.     

The 5K Run Toolkit: A Quick,Painless, and Thoughtful Approach to Managing Print Journal Backruns

Abstract

Increasingly, academic libraries are choosing to discard or place in storage print journals that are now available online. The identification of these titles and related collection analysis activities are often time-intensive. The approach at the University of Saskatchewan Library was to develop an online toolkit that combined available data from disparate sources including the integrated library system, SFX link resolver, and OCLC's WorldCat and then present them in a collaborative open source environment. This paper demonstrates how the careful combination of existing data presented in a simple online format allowed subject specialists to make accurate print journal deselection decisions quickly and painlessly.     

Microfilm Serial Backfiles

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to highlight the status and application of automated serials control in three central university libraries in India—namely, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). All three libraries have started to automate their serials processes, choosing either the Libsys or Virtua integrated library systems. AMU and JMI selected Libsys, while JNU installed Virtua—a product of VTLS Inc. Findings suggest that reasonable progress has been made with the use of different features of serials control systems in all these libraries. This information is helpful for other universities where libraries want to start the automation process.     

Tools of the Serials Trade

Abstract

Many university libraries are facing budget flat-lines or reductions. While finding ways to reduce or reallocate a libraries budget is not new, the planning processes within this article merit consideration, especially for small and medium-sized libraries. Librarians must build and maintain strong relationships with constituencies and be forthright in sharing information so that joint decisions can be made. Developing a strategic plan to address the budget shortfalls and having an effective communication plan are keys to the successful outcome of any budget reduction or reallocation process. This article details the strategies and implementation of one university library.     

How Much Do Print Backfiles Matter?

Abstract

As physical collections are increasingly pressed for space, libraries continue to look at practices such as weeding and off-site storage, coupled with services like on-demand article-level document delivery, as potential space solutions. As libraries discard long runs of print journals, though, what role do journal backfiles play going forward? When many see backfiles as space hogs, is there data that provides a compelling argument for keeping backfiles of journals, and, if so, how should those backfiles be handled and by whom? Incorporating information from an interview with Glenn Jaeger, owner of Absolute Backorder Service, interlibrary loan data from the University of Prince Edward Island, and examples from the literature, this Balance Point column looks at the role that print journal backfiles play in the library landscape.     

A Whirlwind of Change Data: How Libraries and Vendors Translate Data Into Discovery and Access

Abstract

Libraries and vendors share change data to ensure successful discovery and access for users. Change data have increased dramatically and affected data communication, causing barriers to access. Serials data used to be simple: There were new, ceased, and title changes. Data were efficiently exchanged. Now data are complex and difficult to communicate in the digital age. This presentation will discuss the challenges of change data and the ways libraries and vendors are teaming up to calm the whirlwind of change.     

Maxwell's Guide to Authority Work

Abstract

This article will discuss a joint effort to develop a single standard for the exchange of license information between publishers and libraries.     

Print Magazines for American College Libraries

Abstract

This paper opens discussion about the periodicals that are left behind in the debate over the transition from print to electronic journals in academic libraries, particularly college libraries. The author annotates 100 English-language print magazines titles that support a liberal arts curriculum and the leisure reading of an American college community. These titles should be maintained in print versions for browsing and usefulness, even if online availability exists. Magazines, with their mix of articles, illustrations, sidebars, tables, charts, graphs, lists, and short features, still have an important place in college libraries.     

Abstracting and Indexing Adapts to the Internet Era

Abstract

With the role of libraries evolving from warehousing data sources to controlling the dissemination of information sources, A&I (abstracting and indexing) information services must also evolve and play an equally important and challenging role. With over forty years of A&I publishing experience, CSA (formerly Cambridge Scientific Abstracts) has adapted A&I publishing methods to new technologies and Web-based publishing. The editorial basics of producing A&I journals and databases are unchanged; however, new production technologies, such as electronic feeds between primary and secondary publishers, electronic directory services, and machine-aided indexing, can provide efficiencies. Once just roadmaps pointing to information, A&I services are now conduits delivering information directly to the user. Serials Review 2003; 29:221–223.     

Guidelines for Contributors

Abstract

A 1991–2001 comparative analysis of science journal cancellations in a medium-sized academic library provides data different from a national “Annual Periodical Price Survey Report” (APPSR). After canceling 50.3 percent of Booth Library's most expensive STM (scientific, technical, and medical) journals, data show that the average cost of a science journal in the library at Eastern Illinois University is more than what the average cost should be for a medium-sized academic library. If cost determines the academic nature of a scholarly journal and its appropriateness for types of libraries, then this analysis means that some medium-sized academic libraries, such as Booth, subscribe to STM titles that are more suitable for large research libraries. Serials Review 2002; 28:102–107.     

Digital Object Identifiers and Their Use in Libraries

Abstract

Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) are persistent identifications that are assigned to any entity in order to manage intellectual content on digital networks. The DOI system has been managed by an open membership consortium, the International DOI Foundation (IDF), founded in 1998. Usage of the DOI system is cross-industry beyond academic publishing. This article provides an overview of what a DOI is; the structure of DOI; DOI registration agencies (RA); metadata associated with DOIs, and advantages for libraries.     

Administrative Metadata to Support the Acquisition of Continuing E-Resources

Abstract

What is administrative metadata? Why is it important? How are libraries handling administrative metadata for continuing electronic resources? What ILS vendors have products available? This article describes solutions developed by four academic libraries to manage administrative metadata and access to electronic resources. Pennsylvania State University Libraries and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Libraries developed systems that track the acquisitions process and provide access to e-resources. Stanford University Libraries focused on providing access to electronic resources. The Tri-College Consortium (Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Swarthmore Colleges in Pennsylvania) created a database to track the licensing aspect of the acquisitions process. The article also describes efforts currently underway to develop standards and best practices for managing electronic resources. Serials Review 2003; 29:276–281.     

A Bernoulli autoregressive moving average model applied to rainfall occurrence

Abstract

In this article, we propose a new model for binary time series involving an autoregressive moving average structure. The proposed model, which is an extension of the GARMA model, can be used for calculating the forecast probability of an occurrence of an event of interest in cases where these probabilities are dependent on previous observations in the near term. The proposed model is used to analyze a real dataset involving a series that contains only data 0 and 1, indicating the absence or presence of rain in a city located in the central region of São Paulo state, Brazil.     

Seeing the Forest for Trees: Tools for Analyzing Faculty Research Output

Abstract

For academic libraries, because budgetary pressures are nearly universal, it is imperative to evaluate journal packages regularly. This article presents an overview of the data and methods that the NC State University Libraries traditionally uses to evaluate journal packages and presents additional methods to expand our evaluation of publishing and editorial activity. We describe methods for downloading and analyzing Web of Science citation data to identify the most common publishers for NC State affiliated authors as well as the journals in which NC State authors publish most frequently. This article also demonstrates a custom Python web scraping application to harvest NC State affiliated editor data from publishers’ websites. Finally, this article discusses how these data elements are combined to provide a more comprehensive evaluative strategy for our journal investments.     

Managing Perpetual Access

ABSTRACT

Libraries are committed to long-term access to the scholarly record in published journals. The transition from print to online format has presented numerous challenges for libraries. While many publishers provide some form of post-cancellation or perpetual access to subscribed journals, libraries sometimes find it difficult to ensure that access is available to users. Language regarding perpetual access can be vague in the license agreements libraries sign with publishers. Even when perpetual access is available, libraries may lack the staff, tools, or workflows needed to review and confirm access. Examples of how libraries have addressed these challenges are provided.     

Model fitting and inference under latent equilibrium processes

This paper presents a methodology for model fitting and inference in the context of Bayesian models of the type f(Y | X,θ)f(X|θ)f(θ), where Y is the (set of) observed data, θ is a set of model parameters and X is an unobserved (latent) stationary stochastic process induced by the first order transition model f(X ^(t+1)|X ^(t),θ), where X ^(t) denotes the state of the process at time (or generation) t. The crucial feature of the above type of model is that, given θ, the transition model f(X ^(t+1)|X ^(t),θ) is known but the distribution of the stochastic process in equilibrium, that is f(X|θ), is, except in very special cases, intractable, hence unknown. A further point to note is that the data Y has been assumed to be observed when the underlying process is in equilibrium. In other words, the data is not collected dynamically over time. We refer to such specification as a latent equilibrium process (LEP) model. It is motivated by problems in population genetics (though other applications are discussed), where it is of interest to learn about parameters such as mutation and migration rates and population sizes, given a sample of allele frequencies at one or more loci. In such problems it is natural to assume that the distribution of the observed allele frequencies depends on the true (unobserved) population allele frequencies, whereas the distribution of the true allele frequencies is only indirectly specified through a transition model. As a hierarchical specification, it is natural to fit the LEP within a Bayesian framework. Fitting such models is usually done via Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). However, we demonstrate that, in the case of LEP models, implementation of MCMC is far from straightforward. The main contribution of this paper is to provide a methodology to implement MCMC for LEP models. We demonstrate our approach in population genetics problems with both simulated and real data sets. The resultant model fitting is computationally intensive and thus, we also discuss parallel implementation of the procedure in special cases.