In the early years of this presentation we were traditionally called to order as the Librarians United to Fight Costly, Silly and UnneCessary Serial Title Changes. We used to swear the lusty oath These Damn Serial Title Changes Can Go to Hell.
This year as a new tradition for the 90's we have a change. We have the Lullaby for Little Periodicals:
Dear Periodicals be still,
Don't change your names again until
I've made your latest names all clear.
Couldn't you wait at least a year?
Dear little quarterlies be good.
If you must change your size you should
Give the matter a lot of thought
So that you'll look the way you ought.
LIttle Weeklies just you rest,
Staying the way you are is best.
If you must change to Monthlies, then
Don't change back to Weeklies again.
Just you be tranquil little pets.
Just be good; don't cause regrets.
Oh, my darlings, great and small,
I would like to suspend you all.
That was written by Mrs. Eleanor M. Mitchell and it appeared in the April 1939 issue of the Pacific Northwest Library Association Quarterly.
Our first award this year is a congratulatory one, rather than our normal "oh what have they done to us this time" type of award, The Save our heritage award goes to Educational Foundation for Nuclear Science for redesigning the logo and increasing the scope of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists without giving in to the temptation to choose a new name just to "sell better."
To the Daily Journal Corporation goes the Arnold Becker Award for changing the California Directory of attorneys to California Attorneys and then to California Lawyers. We would like to know, if we should engage this LA LA land lawyer to explain to us the difference between lawyers and attorneys.
The Teenage Nutant Ninja Titles Award goes to Elsevier for Mutation Research which has over the years mutated and multiplied. It has been producing offshoots for 15 years; the latest example being: Mutation Research; DNAging.
The Hands Across the Sea, or Merging is such Sweet Sorrow Award goes to the Royal Astronomical Society, the Deutsche Geophysikalische Gesellschaft and the European Geophysical Society who merged their journals into one which they decided to call Geophysical journal. But there was already a journal with that name, and its publishers filed suit for the use of that unique title. Well, to make a long story even longer, the second Geophysical journal rapidly backpedalled and changed its name (again) to Geophysical journal of the RAS, DGG and EGS. That was in January 1989. It seems this wasn't quite catchy enough. So, in July 1989, they finally (we hope) got the unique and catchy name they wanted: Geophysical journal international.
To Scholastic, Inc. goes the To teach or not to teach award for flip-flopping between the titles Instructor and Instructor and teacher and Teacher since 1981 when Instructor merged with Teacher.
For causing unknown amounts of trauma to a serial title, Springer International is awarded the Back to the Operating Room Award. Springer changed the Archives of Orthopaedic and Traumatic Surgery to Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery.
The Worst Serial Title Change of the Year Award goes to IEEE for changing the IEEE Journal of Robotics and Automation to IEEE Transactions on Robotics and Automation.
And finally, we have something a little different. It is not very often that a publisher nominates itself for one of our awards. However, this year one did. Karen do you mind coming up here? I would like to read you something from the July/August 1989 American Libraries. "Muller also said she didn't meet 'a single serials librarian [in Dallas] who admitted voting for the new name.' Referring to the necessary name change of the RTSD Newsletter, Muller said, "I suspect we'll be awarded the Worst Serial Title Change of the Year Award. They [serials librarians] wouldn't pass up an opportunity like this."'
Well, Karen, you were almost correct and I have a certificate for you which I would like to read:
The Snake in the Grass Award, or the Karen Muller Made Us Do It Award, is awarded to Karen Muller, ALCTS Director. By: ALCTS, Serials Section. Worst Serial Title Change of the Year Award Committee. For The title change from RTSD Newsletter to ALCTS Newsletter.
June 23, 1990. Chicago, Illinois.