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Re: Which periodicals does this library subscribe to? Mitch Turitz 28 Aug 2008 19:05 UTC

Karyn:

   You, and several others who responded, did not conduct a proper
reference interview for the patron.  Instead of handing a person a
list of all the periodicals, you should ask them, "Is there any
particular title or subject you are looking for?"  If they say, "Yes,
I'm looking for the journal Nature" then you can show them how to
find it in the online catalog and that you may even have it in
electronic format and how to access that.  Many online catalogs allow
you to limit your searches to periodicals and/or electronic resources.

   Why would a patron want a list of ALL the periodicals that the
library subscribes to?  In most cases it would be because they want
to look up a particular title, or subject periodical for their
research.

   We discontinued maintaining a printed list of our periodicals years
ago because it was double-maintenance, essentially duplicating what
is already in our online catalog. The list was also out of date as
soon as it was printed and the online records are kept-to-date on an
almost daily basis. A title-only list usually does not contain the
access points the complete bibliographic OPAC record has, including
subject headings, alternate titles, and former/later titles which the
patrons may not have been aware of.

   So before you rush to reply to the question, think about what the
person is really looking for.

-- Mitch Turitz

-----Original Message-----
From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@list=
.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of Karyn Hinkle
Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 1:22 PM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: [SERIALST] "Which periodicals does this library subscribe to?"

Dear all --

Do you hear as often as I do from library users asking "Which periodicals d=
oes this library subscribe to?"

<snip>

Thanks for your advice!

Karyn Hinkle

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|   |     Mitch Turitz, Serials Librarian           |   |
|   |     San Francisco State University Library    |   |
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"The most important resource in any library goes home at night."

-Tom Galante, at the "Transforming Your Staff" session during
ALA annual, June 2007, Washington, D.C.