Re: Which periodicals does this library subscribe to? Brooke Ward 29 Aug 2008 12:53 UTC
Although Mitch may be correct in saying that the patron may not actually be looking for the entire list of periodicals, I would not be so quick to judge Karyn's reference interview (esp. without knowing the whole story). Sometimes patrons are just curious and want to browse, without any topic in mind. I have also had faculty members that wish to know how many periodicals we currently receive and want complete lists by subject area to pass on to their students for reference. For research projects, I would suggest helping the patron narrow down the topic and help them to use the catalog to find the proper resources, but some patrons just have a curiosity about what magazines and journals the library has-- sometimes by browsing a list of periodicals titles you can tell how well balanced a library's resources are. So, while additional reference interview questions may be necessary, it may be important in your particular library to have such a list on hand (whether printed or on the web). I personally maintain an Access database with our periodical titles, ISSNs, Dewey Class, holdings by volumes and years, binding info, source (subscription agent, publisher, or donor), format (microform, print, online, CD-ROM), online availability, misc. notes, a column with coding for: current titles (C) so I can limit by the category (C or "blank") and either view only current titles or only backfile runs that have ended, and a column with location codes since we keep some periodicals in our special collections and we separate our religious and secular titles because of the large amount of religious titles we hold for our Biblical Studies program. Of course, the patron does NOT need to know most of that information, but with Access I can select only limited columns to print, and usually I will print a list of titles with our holdings, formats, and locations. We still have the print edition of Reader's Guide and a few other Wilson indexes, so I keep copies of this spreadsheet with those. We haven't yet found a need to put it online. For libraries that can't quite squeeze Serials Solutions (or similar program) into the budget, a database like this can be very helpful. Brooke Ward Serials and Interlibrary Loan Librarian Florida College Wm. Chatlos Library Temple Terrace, FL wardb@floridacollege.edu -----Original Message----- From: Mitch Turitz [mailto:turitz@SFSU.EDU] Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2008 3:06 PM Subject: Re: Which periodicals does this library subscribe to? 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 -- _^_ _^_ (___)-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ( ___ ) | | | | | | Mitch Turitz, Serials Librarian | | | | San Francisco State University Library | | | | | | (___)-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-==- ( ___ ) V V "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.