Summary of responses: OPAC holdings for dead serial runs (Kay Teel) Marcia Tuttle 09 Apr 2001 13:23 UTC
---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2001 13:03:08 -0800 From: Kay Teel <kteel@sulmail.stanford.edu> Subject: Summary of responses: OPAC holdings for dead serial runs Here is the summary of responses for my questions regarding holdings information for dead (included cancelled, etc.) serials. The 12 responding libraries included a law library, a health sciences library, a rare books library, a governmental library specializing in the earth sciences, and several academic libraries. Numbers refer to the number of responses. 1. When you converted your historically dead serials for the OPAC, did you convert item-level information from the Kardex? No: 5 Yes: 3 Yes, at the volume level: 4 No, but converted holdings using Level 4 MARC Holdings: 2 Mixed: 2 The mixed responses were: 1-yes for annuals and irregulars, no for periodicals 1-summary holdings given for everything, and recent issues barcoded during conversion 2. [...] did you throw away your Kardex, and now the item-level information is inaccessible, or did you keep your Kardex for this information? Threw away Kardex (or other manual check-in system): 2 Plan to throw it away: 2 Kept: 7 3. [...] how has not having item-level information impacted your institution and patrons? No impact: 3 Very little impact: 1 4. Do you house dead serial runs in remote storage facilities, and if so, do you have an item-level inventory of serial holdings shelved there? Do not use remote storage: 5 Use remote storage: 7 Notes: Of those who use remote storage, 4 libraries barcode each volume sent to storage, and create item records. One library creates barcoded volumes "on the fly" as they are retrieved and circulated. One library uses Level 4 holdings and does not barcode, as serials do not circulate. 5. When you receive a gift of a dead serial, do you keep track of the individual items? Yes: 7 Notes: One library only adds complete volumes, which are bound immediately. They discard individual issues received as a gift. One library creates an item record for individual issues if they are unheld and the serial title is in the database. One library creates summary holdings with an item inventory. One library itemizes completed serials unless they are periodicals. 6. If so, is it through a manual system, through barcoded items, through online check-in, or--? Barcode bound volumes: 4 Barcode items: 2 Online check-in: 2 Barcode issues and link these to the bib: 1 Give detailed MARC holdings: 1 7. Do you create MARC Holdings for your dead serials, and if so, at what Level (Summary, Level 3, or Level 4)? Is this Level different than for your current, active serial holdings? Level 4 for everything: 5 Level 3 for everything: 1 Level 3 for dead serials, Level 4 for active titles: 3 Summary holdings for everything: 1 Level 3 unless run is incomplete, then Level 4 (for both dead and active titles): 1 Summary holdings for periodicals, itemized holdings for annuals and irregulars: 1 9. Any additional advice, thoughts, comments? Comments: "Administration had to be convinced that we should do as much itemization as we do. They are not terribly supportive of efforts to do more, particularly for non-current material. It's rather difficult even to do a proper Level 4 summary holding to Z39.71 standards if you can't check the item itself. When technology catches up so that we have item-level hooks to holdings from indexes, there may be more general interest, though how we would ever find the staff is uncertain." "If curators/bibliographers are buying issues of dead serials, you have to give holdings to the issue." "Hang onto the Kardex for as long as you can. Space saving is just not that important as compared to the richness of information contained in those painstakingly gathered manual records. However, when all of the current item level information and complete summary holdings for each title have been recorded online, I feel it's time to think about letting the file go." "Our system works very well. Librarians and patrons easily locate our dead and gift serials. I think having the luxury of discarding incomplete gifts has helped a lot. We converted our serials in 1988 and kept the kardex for a couple of years as a safety net. One day the staff realized that they never checked it anymore and we got rid of it the next day." I want to thank everyone who responded! This has been very helpful to us, and your responses will help inform our decisions. ---------------------- Kay Teel Serials Catalog Librarian Stanford University Libraries kteel@stanford.edu