Re: 10 Years: SERIALST's Anniversary (Eileen McKee) Marcia Tuttle 24 Oct 2000 19:59 UTC
Apologies for delay -mt ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2000 09:52:43 -0400 From: "McKee, Eileen" <E.McKee@BROOKLYNPUBLICLIBRARY.ORG> Subject: Re: 10 Years: SERIALST's Anniversary Well said Birdie - and congratulations. Eileen > -----Original Message----- > From: Birdie MacLennan [SMTP:bmaclenn@zoo.uvm.edu] > Sent: Wednesday, October 18, 2000 5:05 PM > To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU > Subject: 10 Years: SERIALST's Anniversary > > An editorial of sorts ... > > Dear SERIALSTers, > > As of about noon today, Oct. 18, SERIALST turned 10 years old! As I > recall, the list was born out of a sense of need to have other librarians > and serials specialists around to ask questions, give advice, exchange > information. Since not everyone with something to say about serials could > (or would want to) be Vermont, it seemed the next best thing was the > virtual computer connection ... once BITNET (the old academic network), > now Internet. > > I've always been grateful to those who developed early electronic > communications models in the late 1980's and early 1990's, such as the > Newsletter on Serial Pricing Issues, edited by Marcia Tuttle, > (http://www.lib.unc.edu/prices/ or > http://www-mathdoc.ujf-grenoble.fr/NSPI/NSPIe.html) and PACS-L (Public > Access Computer Systems list, pacs-l@listserv.uh.edu), which was started > by Charles Bailey. These resources and a handful of others served as > early models for the style and format of SERIALST. > > I am grateful to co-moderators, Marcia Tuttle, Ann Ercelawn, and Stephen > Clark, for their support and collaboration over the years. It's a > significant time commitment to vet incoming mail, answer questions about > how the list works, sort through mail that bounces back or doesn't get > delivered to subscribers because of network problems, screen out > commercial postings and spams, etc., etc. It's been wonderful having > the opportunity to work with dedicated colleagues who have helped share > the load. > > I would like to send a huge debt of gratitude to John Ryder, our > Systems Programmer and the Listserv Manager at the University of Vermont, > who has given us excellent technical support through all the list > management updates and changes during the past 10 years. > > I'd also like to thank the library administration here at the University > of Vermont, who see SERIALST as a worthwhile professional contribution and > who have been happy to support us. > > SERIALST's subscriber base remains at ~2,650 subscriber in 40 countries > (the subscriber base has stayed at this level for the past five years or > so) > > Special thanks to all of you -- the subscribers who contribute messages on > a daily basis and give all of us food for thought. SERIALST, for > me, has been a long and ongoing continuing education experience. And yet, > it doesn't feel like 10 years already!! What once was a baby is now > approaching adolescence! Sheesh, if this baby was a dog, it would already > be a senior citizen!! ;-) Are we showing signs of age? > > Metaphor aside, I hope others who have followed this list for a while have > had some interesting, maybe even some humourous moments in reading along. > Maybe a few of you have had some angst and dread in reading some > perspectives about difficult or controversial issues. Given that SERIALST > was set up to be a tool for learning, "talking" (albeit virtually), > exchanging information, I certainly hope that readers have had the > occasion to be enlightened about some aspect of the serials profession and > the vitality of its presence in libraries around the world. > > If anyone had asked 10 years ago if I'd still have a hand in working with > SERIALST today, I would have laughed and said "who knows?" Doris Day > might have sung, "Que sera, sera ... whatever will be, will be ..." What > seems most important is just to take one day at a time and have faith that > those involved with serials will always find a way to keep talking, > interacting, exchanging ideas and information. Who knows what the years > ahead will bring? Only change is certain. > > So much for reflection. So much for the first decade of this forum. > Happy birthday SERIALST!! -- Birdie > > Birdie MacLennan > SERIALST Listowner/Moderator > University of Vermont > bmaclenn@zoo.uvm.edu