Posted to SERIALST with permission from Cheryl McKee.  --eds.

----------------------------Original message----------------------------
[Forwarded from COLLDV-L as perhaps more appropriate to SERIALST]

 From: Cheryl McKee <CMCKEE%BINGVMB.BITNET@vm.usc.edu>

 Our institution carried out two serials cancellation projects -
 one in 1989 and another in 1991. Both projects involved many
 hours of staff time and a sense of "being under the gun" in order
 to meet vendor deadlines, while taking the academic calendar into
 account. We are now approaching the "serials problem" as an on-
 going issue, as it indeed seems to be, and have established a
 Serials Resources Standing Committee. With this group, we hope to
 do continuous monitoring of price patterns and communicate any
 alarming trends to faculty for possible spot decision-making. We
 also hope to develop guidelines and criteria for cancellation
 that can be used on an on-going basis and which are not tied in
 to any one-time project.

 However, we are just getting started and recognize that there
 may be numerous pitfalls (or potholes, in this part of the
 country) in the path we are taking.

 Are any other institutions approaching serials pricing as a
 "permanent and continuing" issue? Is there one group charged with
 monitoring the problem? What kind of review mechanisms have you
 set up? Is faculty participation built in and, if so, how?

 Responses will be greatly appreciated and shared with our Serials
 Resources group.

 Snail-mail address: Cheryl McKee
                     Coordinator of Collection Development
                     University Libraries
                     P.O. Box 6012
                     State University of New York at Binghamton
                     Binghamton, NY  13902-6012

 Thanks.