Synopses & Reviews
This introduction to serials in libraries presents current issues and practices for library school students, beginning serials librarians, and experienced librarians new to serials management. Managing serials has become increasingly difficult as the cost of subscriptions rises faster than the rate of inflation and budgets remain the same or are cut. This covers collection development of print and online serials, principles of bibliographic control, and ways to facilitate and measure library patrons' use of serials. Chapters addressing economics, scholarly publishing, and teaching patrons about serials complement chapters on the day-to-day management of serials in libraries.
As early as the 17th century, serials publication was inextricably linked to the most current developments in nearly all fields of human endeavor. Even today, serials constitute the single most important vehicle for global scholarly communication. However, the past 20 years have shown an increasing tension among the vested interests of authors, publishers, vendors, and, of course, librarians. Serials management, a complex business at the best of times, now faces a bar raised to unprecedented heights.
Author Steve Black covers such traditional aspects of serials management as acquisition, evaluation, and authority control. He uses these and other functions to highlight changes in scholarly communication and, by extension, how these changes necessitate improvements in practice. Peer review, the prevailing winds of rank and tenure, and the increasingly powerful role of consortia are but a few of the challenges discussed. A final section on teaching patrons to use journals reminds the reader that nonscholars too must be a part of the dialogue.
Serials management today includes decision related to online vs. print. While the emphasis is on academic libraries, the place of serials in public and special libraries is covered. The author prepares the serials librarian for a role in library instruction of patrons in libraries.
Review
"This book is a wellspring of information related to current serials challenges and issues. Another audience not mentioned is that group of well established serials librarians and serials managers. While they are knowledgeable about all of these issues, this book certainly could serve as a resource and reference book for them as well." - Collection Building
Review
"^ISerials in Libraries: Issues and Practices^R is clearly written and contains information that is useful, especially to those who are new to serials and serials management. Although no one has the magic answer for how best to manage serials or meet all the challenges that surround them, this book offers a good start by introducing the issues and providing a historical context. Black has done his homework in writing this book. It would make a good addition to both professional reading collections and collections that support library education." - Technicalities
Review
"Black intends this book for library science students as well as librarians with little experience selecting, acquiring, receiving, and maintaining serials. In this book he introduces the principal issues regarding serials in libraries, first offering a broad view of the subject and relevant definitions, then addressing issues surrounding budgeting for increasing subscription prices, working with remote access serials, using serials, and cataloguing them; when appropriate, he advises best practice. One chapter addresses current issues in scholarly journal publishing. The final chapter discusses methods for teaching patrons how to use both print and remote access serials." - Reference & Research Book News
Review
"Black accomplishes what he sets out to do: prepare a very readable and informative text for library and information science students studying serials….Recommended as an introductory and a refresher professional read." - Booklist/Professional Reading
Review
"[T]he reader is familiarized with ways of dealing with the challenges that serials pose in library management, including changes that have taken place and are taking place in terms of serials publishing, expectations of library users, technological advances, and budgetary pressures. At the same time, the book also provides the reader with a grand picture of the serials environment to facilitate a better understanding of these challenges. The author points out that the most significant challenge to serials management is the increasing tension among the vested interests of authors, publishers, vendors, and, of course, librarians. This book can help serials librarians who face these tremendous challenges of managing and organizing print and online serials make educated decisions on planning and implementing the transition to integrated serials management." - Technical Services Quarterly
Synopsis
This accessible, practical guide to serials management covers such traditional aspects as acquisition, evaluation, and authority control, and uses these and other functions to highlight changes in scholarly communication and underscore how these changes in turn necessitate improvements in practice. Peer review, the prevailing winds of rank and tenure, and the increasingly powerful role of consortia are but a few of the challenges discussed. A final section on teaching patrons to use journals reminds the reader that nonscholars too must be part of the dialogue.
Synopsis
This introduction to serials in libraries presents current issues and practices for library school students, beginning serials librarians, and experienced librarians new to serials management. Managing serials has become increasingly difficult as the cost of subscriptions rises faster than the rate of inflation and budgets remain the same or are cut. This covers collection development of print and online serials, principles of bibliographic control, and ways to facilitate and measure library patrons' use of serials. Chapters addressing economics, scholarly publishing, and teaching patrons about serials complement chapters on the day-to-day management of serials in libraries.
Synopsis
Managing the serials collection in any library is a challenge with new methods of delivery of content, tracking use, teaching patrons, and coping with budget constraints. This book is an introduction to help the librarian solve these challenges.
About the Author
STEVE BLACK is Reference, Instruction, and Serials Librarian, The College of Saint Rose/Adjunct Lecturer, School of Information Science and Policy, University at Albany/SUNY.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Serials Environment
Chapter 2: Remote Access Serials
Chapter 3: Budgeting, Selection, and Deselection of Serials
Chapter 4: Serials Work Flow in Libraries
Chapter 5: Bibliographic Control of Serials
Chapter 6: Economics and the Market for Serials
Chapter 7: Issues in Scholarly Journal Publishing
Chapter 8: Use of Serials
Chapter 9: Teaching Patrons to Use Serials
Glossary
Index