Tables of Contents on the NET BMACLENN@UVMVM.BITNET 02 Dec 1991 19:16 UTC
----------------------------Original message---------------------------- The following is being sent to ACQNET and SERIALST. Apologies to those who receive duplicates. I've been following the discussion re. posting LAPT Tables of Contents (TOC) on ACQNET and SERIALST with great interest. Aside from Kate McCain's Nov. 1st posting, subscribers to SERIALST have been curiously silent on this topic. Here's my two cents worth. As a subscriber, my reaction was favorable. The budget cuts and subscription cancellations that our library is coping with have resulted in a policy of sending all but a few currently received professional journals directly to their shelving areas. Library staff interested in a particular title, which previously might have been routed, or available in the staff lounge, must now browse shelves, or check holdings in the online catalog for current receipts. Thus, the idea of posting TOC lists for selected journals seems like a nice "current awareness" service -- provided the contents displayed on the listing(s) parallels the scope and content of the electronic discussion forum. As a listowner, I have concerns about featuring one journal's TOC over another's and the question of "quasi-advertising" or commercialism that this elicits. As Ann Okerson suggested (ACQNET, vol. 1, no. 129 (Nov. 25)) what would probably be ideal is an acquisitions (for ACQNET) or serials (for SERIALST) subject-oriented list of citations from a variety of journals. The manifestation of citations from many journals, as opposed to one, would eliminate appearances of preferential treatment or commercialism. For a model of such a service, one might check out the Current Cite service that is edited by David F.W. Robison at the UC Berkeley Library. (Internet users can Telnet to: melvyl.ucop.edu, key in the command, "show current cites," and look at citations in selected areas of library technology from over 30 librarianship and computer technology journals.) This brings forth another question. Who, if anyone, could we co- opt into providing such mini-services to ACQNET or SERIALST? And do we want to? Such services -- UnCover, DIALOG, OCLC's First Search -- already exist on the NET on a much larger scale (albeit for a fee). Electronic discussion forums and bulletin boards are what their subscribers contribute. Finally, what, exactly, constitutes commercialism? If we cite each other's work as relevant and/or complementary to an electronic forum (regardless of what journal publishes it), is this commercialism or an exchange of ideas about available sources in our areas of interest? There are probably no hard and fast answers to any of this, but pending volunteers (are there any out there?) who would be willing to compile a citation service based on a variety of sources, I'm in favor of seeing citations to available literature on topics that are relevant to the scope of the forum -- and appreciative of the efforts of contributors who are willing to supply us with such citations. Birdie MacLennan University of Vermont