For those of you who weren't able to attend ALA in Chicago, I'd like to
present this year's Worst Serial Title Change of the Year Awards, as
selected by the ALA ALCTS Serials Section Worst Serial Title Change of the
Year Committee.

1.  American Industrial Hygiene Association: Let me make this perfectly
clear Award. The American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal changed
its name to AIHAJ, with the following explanatory note found on the
editorial page.  "We must begin to indicate that our mission is to promote
knowledge in the science of occupational and environmental health and
safety.  Changing our name from the American Industrial Hygiene
Association Journal to simply AIHAJ, clarifies that direction."  But just
in case that clarification was not made perfectly clear to you, they add a
subtitle to AIHAJ:  Journal for the Science of Occupational and
Environmental Health and Safety.

2.  The "Snap, Crackle and POP" Award: Electronics at it's best?!
"Electronics Now" has merged with "Popular electronics" to become
"Poptronics".  What?!

3.  The "If it's the year 2000, this must be Turkmenistan" Award "If It's
the Year 2000, This must be Turkmenistan"  Lifetime Achievement Award:
This is awarded to the Economist Intelligence Unit for changing the
countries it reports on in its annual Country Profiles and quarterly
Country Reports series each and every year.  The changes caught by
catalogers (and there may be additional ones) for 1999 are: single report
for Bosnia/Herzegovina/Croatia to separate ones for Bosnia/Herzegovina and
Croatia; single report for Kyrgyz Republic/Tajikistan/Turkmenistan to a
separate one for Kyrgyz Republic/Tajikistan and one for Turkmenistan;
single report for Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania to three separate reports, one
for each country;  single report for Yugoslavia/ Macedonia to separate
reports for each country; and, finally, single report for
Uganda/Rwanda/Burundi to one report for Rwanda/Burundi and a separate
report for Uganda.

There has been a complete reorganization of the Caribbean with Belize,
Bahamas, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Turks & Caicos Islands Reports being
changed to Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Netherlands
Antilles, Aruba, Turks & Caicos Islands, Cayman Islands.  Cuba, Dominican
Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico changed to Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto
Rico, while Cuba got its own report.  Jamaica, Barbados regrouped to
Jamaica, Belize, Organization of East Caribbean States (Windward & Leeward
Islands), while Guyana lost the Windward & Leeward Islands and joined with
Trinidad & Tobago and Suriname. There may be more, but we are afraid they
have been lost in the Bermuda triangle.

4.  The " Different Moods, Different Titles Award:"

Moody's bank & finance news reports;  Moody's industrial news reports;
Moody's OTC unlisted news reports; Moody's public utility news reports;
Moody's transportation news reports; Moody's OTC industrial news reports,
all of which were loose-leaf weekly reports, became Mergent Corporate News
Reports, a monthly soft-bound volume without binder holes.  Furthermore,
the cataloging record has the following 856:  Weekly news reports
http://www.FISonline.com, which again brings up the weekly thing.  Are we
having fun yet?  After this, we weren't in the "mood" for anymore title
changes!

No "Snake in the Grass Award"!

Well, maybe we librarians decided to start off the new millenium on the
right foot.  We did not identify any candidates for this "prestigious"
award this year.  Maybe we're all snake charmers now?!

And now for the Worst:  a tie!

5. The "Please pass the Rolaids Award".

Write up:  This Award goes to the Institute of Management Accountants, who
had already been causing serials catalogers to complain of stomach upset
because their journal, Management Accounting, crosses a calendar year with
its volume numbering.  But, indigestion set in when they changed the title
in the middle of the volume to Strategic Finance.  Indigestion turned to
heartburn when they started a new journal, (while still publishing
Strategic Finance), called Management Accounting Quarterly, which of
course has Management Accounting as a variant title.  Acid reflux struck
when they gave they then gave the following URL for people wishing to
submit manuscripts to Management Accounting Quarterly as
www.strategicfinancing.com.  Please pass the Rolaids!

and

 The "Federal Shenanigans Award", or the "Are we there yet, Mommy?" Award
Goes to Federal Highway Administration Office of Motor Carriers Register.
[There is also a special honorable mention award added to this one, as
after it had been submitted, it had another title change and the
contributor had to send us a revision!]

These are the kinds of title changes that make catalogers want to grind
their gears.  In March of 1999 the Federal Highway Administration Office
of Motor Carriers Register, (8 words), changed it's name to Federal
Highway Administration Office of Motor Carrier and Highway Safety
Register, (11 words).  After traveling this long and winding road for
several months, they apparently hit a bump, and decided to jettison some
of the load.  In October of 1999 the name was changed to:  Department of
Transportation Office of Motor Carrier Safety Register, (9 words).
Feeling that this one was indeed the optimum length with which to start
the new millenium, in Jan of 2000 the title was again changed to:
Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Register, (9 words).  Seems the Federal Highway Administration is due for
a transmission overhaul.  Are we there yet Mommy?  Or is this just a potty
break?

Thanks to Committee members Barbara Watson, Cornell University and Susan
Williams, University of Colorado, and everyone who submitted a nomination.

Want more Worst Title Changes?  Visit our website at:
http://www.ala.org/alcts/organization/ss/worst.html
The complete list for 2000 will be posted there soon. You can also see the
list of winners for years 1984-1999 posted there now.

You also submit more of your "worst" to me at the address listed below for
next year's awards.

Gene Dickerson

Eugene Dickerson
Head, Bibliographic Unit
Serial Records Section
National Library of Medicine
Bldg. 38, Rm. B1W10
8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20894

(301) 435-7072
dickerse@mail.nlm.nih.gov