Hi all,

Well, the month of October is steadily slipping away.  Before it
disappears altogether, I would like to recognize the fact that SERIALST
recently passed an anniversary milestone.  A little more than 15 years
ago, on October 18, 1990, the SERIALST discussion forum was launched on
BITNET ... how many of you remember the Because Its Time Network? As Bob
Persing wrote, "15? Does this mean the list is in its awkward, sullen teen
years?  No wonder it never says anything unless someone talks directly to
it."  :-)

Well, it's true.  SERIALST is a teenager!

In the years since 1990, SERIALST has become a lively Internet forum with
a subscriber base that has been holding steady for the past two or three
years:  slightly more than 3,000 subscribers in 47 countries.  We receive
messages just about every day, from various corners of the globe.  We pose
thoughts and questions to each other, we help resolve problems and work
out solutions.  The serials community that we find among each other
through this virtual space has allowed (some of us, anyway) to rejoice at
never having to feel "alone" in isolation -- but to have kindred
colleagues, regardless of time and geographical space -- that are freely
available for the simple exchange of thoughts, ideas, and perspectives
that SERIALST offers.

Over the years, the LISTSERV software that supports SERIALST has gotten
more sophisticated and user-friendly.  We've move from an email-driven
command and messaging platform to one that is both email and web-based.
If you haven't discovered it yet, you may want to try using the
"subscriber's corner" of the SERIALST web archives
(http://list.uvm.edu/archives/serialst.html) to manage your
subscription.  Of course, all the email commands and options are still
fully functional.

I've made some minor revisions to the SERIALST Scope & Purpose page,
primarily by adding a new first paragraph to section 4.0., "Selected
Command Options" to create a link to the web interface.  (see
http://www.uvm.edu/~bmaclenn/serialst.html )

The process of moderating the list has become more ...  interesting and
challenging.  We've moved from an open and unmoderated platform in 1990
and 1991, where anyone from anywhere could submit messages, to a "private"
list, that screens messages from all but current subscribers.  A team of
five moderators vet incoming messages.  The moderation protocols, as well
as the moderators themselves, act as screens to filter out spam and edit
out duplicate text (as in the same quoted text that appears in multiple
responses to a single message).  SERIALST's web archives remain open and
freely accessible to subscribers and non-subscribers alike (
http://list.uvm.edu/archives/serialst.html).

And so it goes ... and so it's been for 15 years:  You send the mail,
SERIALST delivers it via a team of moderators and via the automated
functions of the LISTSERV software that supports us.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of SERIALST's
subscribers and contributors for making this such a lively forum.  Without
you, there would not be anything to talk about!

I'd also like to thank my colleagues in the moderators' group:  Ann
Ercelawn (Vanderbilt University), Stephen Clark (College of William &
Mary), Bob Persing (University of Pennsylvania) and Marcia Tuttle, our
Consultant, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

We are also extremely grateful to John Ryder and Sharon Provost,
LISTSERV managers at the University of Vermont's Computing and Information
Technology Division, who provide the technical support, advice,
troubleshooting, etc.

 THANKS EVERYONE!  I can't believe it's been 15 years already.  I never
thought I'd be having a 15 year retrospective with this discussion forum
... and I think I can honestly say, I probably would not have lasted this
long without this great support network of subscribers, as well as the
team of people who make SERIALST run on a day-to-day basis.

	Thanks again, and happy week-end, all!
		-- Birdie

	Birdie MacLennan
        SERIALST Listowner/Moderator
	Coordinator, Serials & Cataloging
        University of Vermont
	birdie.maclennan@uvm.edu

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