The 1998 Worst Serials Title Changes of the Year Awards

The "Asian Crisis Award" goes to Asia-Pacific magazine (1997), published
by Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National
University.  This title continues New Asia-Pacific review (1996-97), which
is the offspring of New Asia review (summer 1994-spring 1996), and the
original Asia-Pacific magazine (Apr.-June 1996), both having a brief
life-span.  What goes around comes around. How true.

The "Healthy Choice (NOT) Award"  nods to Nutrition forum (Amherst, N.Y.),
published by: Prometheus Books, for changing back to its original title:
Nutrition forum (Philadelphia, Pa.), after a short life (3 issues,
Sept./Oct. 1996-Jan./Feb. 1997) under the name: Nutrition & health forum.
Do they think health has NOTHING to do with nutrition?

The "No Business is Bad Business Award" is earned by UCLA Anderson
Forecasting Project for its UCLA Anderson forecast for the nation and
California; formerly: UCLA business forecast for the nation and California.
Thanks, but No thanks for this most notable reduction in meaningfulness of
title word.

The "I Want to Live, or, Walking Dead Award" belongs to Transactions of the
Faculty of Actuaries,  published by Faculty of Actuaries in Scotland. This
title is supposed to have merged with Journal of the Institute of Actuaries
to become British actuarial journal in 1995, but guess what? It came back
to haunt us with nos. 285-286 in 1997, even though v. 3, pt. 4 (1997) issue
of British actuarial journal still says on cover: "incorporating Journal of
the Institute of Actuaries and Transactions of the Faculty of Actuaries."
Welcome to the serials Twilight Zone!

No one is more deserving of the "Most Miss-Guided Award" than Peterson's
Guides for dropping the word "guide" from 7 of its guides title:
        Peterson's graduate and professional programs;
        Peterson's graduate programs in business, education, health,
information studies, law & social work.
        Peterson's graduate programs in engineering and applied sciences.
        Peterson's graduate programs in the biological sciences.
        Peterson's graduate programs in the humanities, arts, & social
sciences.
        Peterson's graduate programs in the physical sciences, mathematics
& agricultural sciences.
        Peterson's private secondary schools.
Practically, all these have merged to form: PETERSON'S GUIDE TO FRUSTRATION
(or, Peterson's frustration?)

"The Medieval Torture in Electronic Age Award" finds its winner in the
Medieval review, formerly BMMR. This e-journal changed title with July 19=
97 issue but carried with it ALL the previous issues under the old title.
This weird behavior caused CONSER to come up with a brand new solution:
"Incorporating entry."  What more can we say?

The "Snake in the Grass Award," a.k.a. "E-dentity Crisis Award" is
presented to UCLA library staff newsweb, an electronic newsletter published
by UCLA Library Administration Office. In its nominator's (Michael
Randall) words:

"After a staid and responsible publishing history of almost 33 years, the
digital age wreaked havoc upon the Library Newsletter/ULCA. A new
electronic version with the title UCLA library newsweb began publication
with no. 837, on June 17, 1997. But not having drawn its last breath,
Library Newsletter/UCLA continued publishing until no. 839, July 25, 1997.
For this three-issue overlap period, both titles published simultaneously,
with slightly differing contents. Could this be an occurrence of serial
schizophrenia? Then, showing that change occurs quickly in the digital age,
the title changed again, for no apparent reason and with no explanation, to
UCLA library staff newsweb, with no. 855, on March 16, 1998."  Couldn't
have said it better ourselves.

The WORST SERIAL TITLE CHANGE OF THE YEAR AWARD, or, The THREE STRIKES, YOU
ARE (W)IN AWARD is bestowed upon Royal Geographical Society of London, for
being the ROYAL PAIN IN THE BIB by calling the title of its magazine three
different names in as many issues and for receiving  three nominations, one
of which is from the Netherlands!
The magazine began as:
  The Geographical magazine (May 1936-Nov. 1988), changed to:
Geographical (Dec. 1988-Apr. 1995), then to:
  Geographical magazine (May 1995-May 1997), followed by:
  The Royal Geographical Society magazine (June 1997), and back to:
Geographical (July 1997)

Not only did the title change unnecessarily and repeatedly, it always
changed in the middle of the year and volume! To make things even worse,
the numbering also screwed up: June-Aug. issues of 1997 are numbered as v.
69, no. 6, v. 70, no. 7 and v. 71, no. 8 respectively.  One of the
nominators, Jeanette Skwor, said: "I cannot think of a finer example of the
spirit of this award." Nor can we. It is only fitting that we grant this
prestigious award from our capital to a recipient in another capital for
committing such a capital bibliographical crime!

Respectfully submitted by your 1998 ALCTS-SS Worst Serials Title Change of
the Year Award Committee.

Selina Lin (Chair)
Linda Horiuchi & Sue Williams (Members)