More serials workflow JANAND@USU.BITNET 26 Jun 1991 14:25 UTC
Another reply to Birdie's inquiry about organization of serials: At Utah State "The Serials Department" performs the following functions: ordering (where there's any $!), invoice payment, records management (that's our Geac acquisitions/check-in system, not cataloging records--but requires the same title tracking, etc.), all-library mailroom, check-in, claiming, and binding (in-house pamphlet type and outside commercial). In addition, "Serials" includes all management of the Current Periodicals public service area (open stacks, informational questions, limited reference-type questions, re-shelving, shelfreading, copy machine, etc.). In addition to these duties, "Serials" is technically responsible for all collection development and acquisitions functions for the serials collection (6,000 active titles). This involves budgeting, campus- wide serials reviews, etc. However--this is a disputed territory in our library, as the head of book acquisitions wants to be the head of both, and the higher-ups refuse to clarify the territory. This results in continuous stepping on each other's toes. A more comfortable interface is with the cataloging department. Serials cataloging is done under Cataloging rather than under Serials, and we have an excellent relationship there. The somewhat odd arrange- ment of the Geac system, in which we keep acquisitions bibliographic-ish info which is distinct from the "official" cataloging record could make for complications, but so far all has gone well. As for supervision, as "Head of Serials," I'm responsible for everything listed in paragraph 1, above, and for the serials collection development and acquisitions activities. Cataloging and book acquisitions are, of course, distinct--each with its own department head. Is this arrangement workable? Not bad. I would, after five years, still like some clarification on the acquisitions issue, and have in fact recently started suggesting they reassign all acquisitions activities (book and serial) to the book acquisitions person. As for the public service area, my preference would be to combine current and bound periodicals and microforms into physically adjacent areas with a single public service desk. At this time, however, space does not permit such an arrangement. I DO like the combination of Current Periodicals and the serials check-in/claiming/etc. operations in a single department. Communication between these two sections has been greatly enhanced by merging them, some five years back. --Jan Anderson (Utah State University) Bitnet: janand@usu Internet: janand@cc.usu.edu