Re: Handling free periodicals Koveleskie, Judith 09 Feb 2005 20:28 UTC
If they come on a regular (or semi-regular) basis we add them to the collection and catalog them just like our paid subscriptions. Usually we only keep them for a couple of years unless the faculty think they are worth binding or keeping for a longer period in Princeton files. There are a few medical journals that fall into this category. When something new that I have not requested starts arriving, I usually wait until I have several issues to be sure they aren't just sample copies. With items we request online and renew each year, we have a fairly good record of things arriving when they should. Cataloging and online check-in put the issues in our online catalog making them more accessible to patrons. So even if an issue is missed now and then, the patrons can see the gaps in the catalog and know that it never arrived so they don't waste a lot to time searching for something we don't have. Judith A. Koveleskie Periodicals Librarian Seton Hill University Reeves Memorial Library Greensburg, PA 15601 724-838-7828 This document may contain confidential information and is intended solely for the use of the addressee. If you received it in error, please contact the sender at once and destroy the document. The document may contain information subject to restrictions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Acts. Such information may not be disclosed or used in any fashion outside the scope of the service for which you are receiving the information. -----Original Message----- From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU]On Behalf Of Hill, Katherine Sent: Wednesday, February 09, 2005 1:52 PM To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU Subject: [SERIALST] Handling free periodicals I'm wondering how you handle periodicals that are available through a free subscription. We are a community college library and have a few such titles that relate to our curriculum. Our experience is that they arrive sporadically and we never know if we really have a subscription or not. Normally we won't subscribe to a title that is not indexed, but for some of our curricula, we like to have everything we can get. But if they aren't indexed and don't show up in databases, they won't be used. Trying to get the faculty to encourage their use is an uphill battle. The latest example we've received is Hygienetown. The cover says "Welcome to the Premier Issue!" It is apparently a spinoff from Perio Reports, which we get through our vendor. Another example is Dimensions of Dental Hygiene, free with web registration, but costing $40 from our vendor. So my question is, do you catalog these and/or make room for them on your shelves? Or just pretend they don't exist and wash your hands of the whole thing? Katherine H. Hill Department Chair Serials/Circulation Librarian North Campus Library Erie Community College 6205 Main St., Williamsville, NY 14221 716-851-1278