Syllabus for Serials Collection Management and Acquisitions

Acquaints or refreshes those who need to become familiar with the current aspects of selection, funding, and acquisitions, specific to serial publications, regardless of format (print or e-resources).

I. What is a serial?

1. Standard professional and industry definitions of a serial, both print and electronic
2. Local institution (your library) definition of serials, frequently based upon workflow, procedures, and staffing
3. Terminology of the serials world
4. Aggregated databases vs. e-journal subscriptions
   

II. History

1. Serials print history
2. Electronic journal history
3. Impact of serial costs on libraries
   

III. Collection Development Policy

1. Functions of a policy statement as it addresses serials acquisitions including the acquisition of e-resources
2. Outreach and liaison strategies to meet acquisitions needs of all library constituents
3. Access vs. ownership including
   1. Overview of copyright and licensing issues
   2. Archival rights and costs
4. Role of consortia in collection building and resource sharing
   

IV. Budget Allocation

1. Impact of serials on the materials budget
   1. Serials as a portion of the overall materials budget
   2. Price increases
   3. Role of multiple years cost analysis reports (either generated from in-house ILS systems and/or vendors)
   4. E-access "free with print" or with additional charge
2. Methodology for estimating serials prices for next fiscal year
   1. Domestic and International
   2. By discipline and/or fund allocation
   3. By type of publisher (i.e., STM)
3. Vendor Selection Considerations
   1. Bidding, contracts (formal and letters of agreement, RFI and RFP processes)

V. Selection Process

1. Selection of titles new to the library
   1. Traditional print review sources
   2. E-review sources
   3. Faculty/student input
2. Cancellations
   1. Procedure for core review and cancellation
   2. Access vs. ownership
   3. Successfully marketing content available through alternative sources (i.e., e-resources)
   4. Criteria for potential cancellations
   5. Impact of Cancellations

VI. Method of Acquisition

1. Consortia purchases - at state-wide level and through self-defined consortia
2. Access vs. ownership including document delivery
3. Vendors vs. order direct
4. Gifts and exchange
5. Bundled subscriptions

Selected Bibliography

Serial Publications

The Acquisitions Librarian. Semiannual. New York: Haworth, 1989–.

Advances in Serials Management. Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press,1986–2000.

Against the Grain. Quarterly. Charleston, S.C.,1989–.

Collection Management. New York: Haworth Press, 1976–77–.

Library Acquisitions: Practice and Theory. Quarterly. New York: Pergamon, 1977–.

The Serials Librarian. Quarterly. New York: Haworth, 1976–.

The Serials Librarian (Online: http://www.haworthpress.com/) Subscription Access, Vol. 36 (1999)- (Available online for subscribers).

Serials Review. Quarterly. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Pierian, 1975–.

Serials Review (Online : http://www.sciencedirect.com/) Subscription Access, Vol. 21 (1995)- (Available online for subscribers)

Monographs

Basch, N. Bernard and Judy McQueen. Buying Serials: A How-to-do-it Manual for Librarians. New York: Neal-Schuman, 1990.

Serials Section of the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, Managing Electronic Serials: Essays Based on the ALCTS Electronic Serials Institutes, 1997–1999. Ed. by Bluh, Pamela. Chicago: American Library Association, 2001.

Cenzer, Pamela S. and Cynthia I. Gozzi. Evaluating Acquisitions and Collections Management. New York: Haworth Press, 1991.

Curtis, Donnelyn, Virgina M. Scheschy, Adolfo R. Tarango. Developing and Managing Electronic Journal Collections: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians. New York: Neal-Schuman, 2000.

Evans, G. Edward. Developing Library and Information Center Collections, 4th ed. Englewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited, 2000.

Fowler, David C. E-Serials Collection Management: Transitions, Trends, and Technicalities. New York: Haworth, 2004.

Futas, Elizabeth. Collection Development Policies and Procedures, 3d ed. Phoenix, Ariz.: Oryx Press, 1995.

Johnson, Peggy and Bonnie MacEwan, editors, Virtually Yours : Models for Managing Electronic Resources and Services : Proceedings of the Joint Reference and User Services Association and Association for Library Collections and Technical Services Institute. Chicago, Illinois, October 24-25, 1997.

Jones, Wayne, editor, E-Serials: Publishers, Libraries, Users, and Standards, copublished simultaneously as The Serials Librarian, Volume 33, Numbers 1/2 and 3/4 1998. New York: Haworth Press, 1998.

Nisonger, Thomas E., Management of Serials in Libraries. Englewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited, 1998 (especially useful for serials historical background).

North American Serials Interest Group (NASIG) Proceedings, copublished simultaneously as The Serials Librarian. New York: Haworth Press.

• NASIG 2001: A Serials Odyssey, edited by Susan L. Scheiberg and Shelley Neville (42, nos.1/2/3/4, 2002).
• Making Waves: New Serials Landscapes in a Sea of Change. P. Michelle Fiander, Joseph C. Harmon, editors, (2001).
• From Carnegie to Internet2: Forging the Serials Future, edited by P. Michelle Fiander, Joseph C. Harmon, Jonathan David Makepeace, (38, no.1/2/3/4 2000).
• Head in the Clouds, Feet on the Ground: Serials Vision and Common Sense, edited by Jeffrey S. Bullington, Beatrice L. Caraway, and Beverly Geer (36, nos.1/2/3/4 1999).
• Experimentation and Collaboration: Creating Serials for a New Millennium, Charlene N. Simser and Michael A. Somers (34, nos.1/2/3/4 1998). Valuable ideas and practical advice that you can apply or incorporate into your own area of expertise.
• Pioneering New Serials Frontiers: From Petroglyps to Cyberserials, edited by Christine Christiansen and Cecilia Leathem (30, no.3/4 and 31, no.1/2 1997). Insight, ideas, and practical skills for dealing with the changing world of serials management.
• Serials to the Tenth Power: Traditions, Technology, and Transformation, edited by Mary Ann Sheble and Beth Holley (28, nos.1/2/3/4 1996). Practical ideas on managing the challenges of the electronic information environment.
• A Kaleidoscope of Choices: Reshaping Roles and Opportunities for Serialists, edited by Beth Holley and Mary Ann Sheble (25, no.3/4 1995). Excellent source material for all librarians interested in learning more about the Internet; technology and its effects on library organization and operations, and the virtual library.
• New Scholarship: New Serials: Proceedings of the North American Serials Interest Group, Inc., edited by Gail McMillian and Marilyn Norstedt (24, no.3/4 1994). Excellent representation of the ever-changing, complicated, and ex citing world of serials.
• If We Build It: Scholarly Communications and Networking Technologies: Proceedings of the North American Serials Interest Group, Inc., edited by Suzanne McMahon, Miriam Palm, and Pamela Dunn (23, no.3/4 1993). Recommended to anyone interested in the academic serials environment as a means of keeping track of the electronic revolution and the emerging possibilities.
• A Changing World: Proceedings of the North American Serials Interest Group, Inc., edited by Suzanne McMahon, Miriam Palm, and Pamela Dunn (21, no.2/3 1992). For anyone interested in the current and future trends of serials control and electronic publishing.
• The Future of Serials: Proceedings of the North American Serials Interest Group, Inc., edited by Patricia Ohl Rice, and Jane A. Robillard (19, no.3/4 1991). A worthwhile addition to any library studies collection or a serials librarian’s working library. Separate purchase of the monograph recommended--NASIG plays too important a role in the serials universe to ignore any of its published proceedings.
• The Serials Partnership: Teamwork, Technology, and Trends, edited by Patricia Ohl Rice and Joyce L. Ogburn (17, no.3/4 1990). Scholars, publishers, vendors, and librarians discuss issues of common concern.
• Serials Information from Publisher to User: Practice, Programs, and Progress, edited by Leigh A.Chatterton and Mary Elizabeth Clack (15, no.3/4 1988). Excellent reference tools for years to come.
• The Serials Information Chain: Discussion, Debate, and Dialog, edited by Leigh Chatterton and Mary Elizabeth Clack (13, no.2/3 1988). Contains enlightening information for libraries or businesses in which serials are a major concern.

Schmidt, Karen A., editor, Understanding The Business of Library Acquisitions. Chicago: American Library Association, 1990.

Serials Conference (3d: 1983: Arlington, Va.) Library serials standards: development, implementation, impact: proceedings of the Third Annual Serials Conference, edited by Nancy Jean Melin. Westport, Conn.: Meckler, 1984.

Slight-Gibney, Nancy, editor, "Periodical Acquisitions and the Internet," copublished simultaneously as The Acquisitions Librarian, no.21, 1999. New York: Haworth Press, 1999.

Tuttle, Marcia, Introduction to Serials Management; with chapters by Luke Swindler, Nancy I. White. Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press, 1983.

Tuttle, Marcia; with chapters by Luke Swindler, Frieda B. Rosenberg. Managing Serials. Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press, 1996.

Articles

Branin, Joseph, Groen, Frances, Thorin, Suzanne. ”The Changing Nature of Collection Management in Research Libraries.“ Library Resources & Technical Services. 44 no.1 (January 2000): 23–32 (especially useful for the Works Cited).

Calhoun, Karen, and Bill Kara. "Aggregation or Aggravation?" Optimizing Access to Full-Text Journals." ALCTS Newsletter Online. 11 no. (2000). Accessed February 27, 2001.

Crawford, Walt. "E-newsletters and E-zines: From Current Cites to New Breed Librarian: A Survey of the Library E-zine Scene." American Libraries. 32 no.11 (Dec. 2001): 51–53.

Green, Carol. "Before You Cancel the Paper, Beware—All Electronic Journals in 2001 Are Not Created Equal." NASIG Newsletter. 15 no.3 (Sept. 2000): 34.

Weston, Claudia V. “Breaking with the Past: Formula Allocation at Portland State University.” Serials Librarian. 45 no.4 (2004): 43–53.

Discussion Lists

ACQNET-L (Acquisitions)
http://acqweb.library.vanderbilt.edu/acqnet.html

COLLDV-L (Collection Development)
To subscribe Listproc@usc.edu
For archives www.infomotions.com/serials/colldv-l/

Liblicense-L (Licensing)
www.library.yale.edu/~llicense/index.shtml

SERIALST (Serials)
www.uvm.edu/~bmaclenn/serialst.html

Web Resources

AcqWeb
Links to publisher sited and many, many resources of interest to acquisitions and collection development librarians.
http://acqweb.library.vanderbilt.edu/

ALCTS Newsletter Online
www.ala.org/alcts/alcts_news

Management of Electronic Journals by Libraries and Information Centers
To subscribe: ARL-EJOURNAL@CNI.ORG
To access archive: www.cni.org/Hforums/arl-ejournal/

Back Issues and Exchange Services Links to serials discussion and exchange lists.
www.uvm.edu/~bmaclenn/backexch.html

Collection Development for Arizona Public Libraries Overview of collection development and acquisitions processes for public libraries with links to other revelant sites.
www.dlapr.lib.az.us/cdt/index.htm

Copyright, Library of Congress. U.S. Copyright Office
http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/

Critical Evaluation of Resources
www.lib.berkeley.edu/teachinglib/guides/evaluation.html

Internet Library for Librarians:
www.itcompany.com/inforetriever/

Licensing Electronic Resources
www.arl.org/scomm/licensing/licbooklet.html

Library Materials Budget Survey
www.arl.org/scomm/lmbs/index.html

Marc 21 Concise Format for Classification Data
www.loc.gov/marc/classification/eccdhome.html

Newsletter on Serials Pricing Issues (Archives for 1989–2001)
www.lib.edu/prices/

North American Serials Interest Group
www.nasig.org

Scholarly Electronic Publishing at Charles Bailey’s Web
http://info.lib.uh.edu/sepb/sepb.html

Serials in Cyberspace: Collections, Resources, and Services
www.uvm.edu/~bmaclenn/

Standard License Agreement
www.library.yale.edu/~llicense/index.shtml

The Library of Congress Standards
www.loc.gov/standards/

Catloging Manuals

Cataloging Electronic Resources

OCLC-MARC Coding Guidelines
www.oclc.org/oclc/cataloging/type.htm

By Daisy Waters, Assistant Acquisitions Librarian for Electronic Resources, Central Technical Services, University at Buffalo and Virginia Taffurelli, Head of Technical Processing, Science, Industry and Business Library, The New York Public Library

Last Modified: March 2005
For more information contact: the Section Education Committee