The most popular response seems to be to use OCLC.  We are not on OCLC nor are
any of the other libraries in our Association (OCLC is not very big here in
Canada).  We will however contact them to see what is involved.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to answer.

Carolyne Sidey
Xerox Research Centre of Canada
---------------------------------
>>We are producing a union list of serials of libraries which are not on the
main Spanish union list (I am at a research center-Centro de Estudios Avanzados
en Ciencias Sociales, Instituto Juan March, Madrid, Spain).  I use Rapid file
which is an Ashton Tate user friendly data base manager.  It is very easy to
learn how to use and I really like it.  The computer people think it takes too
much memory but it is so flexible and you can manipulate it so easily that we
swear by it.
To print, I download it into Word Perfect and do a bit of cleaning up.  Maybe
if I were more a computer person I could do everything in Rapid File.  We also
use it for acquisitions and serial control.  the acquisitions has about 20,000
records.  I don't know how large your data base is but if it is less or around
that number I'd recommend Rapid File.
I'm Martha Wood, my telephone number is 341- 435-42-40, ext. 264 the fax
is 341-576-66-68 and my E-mail is martha.wood@ceacs.ijm.es.

>>If you are in OCLC you could have them on your network create a list for you.
If not, you might try Procite, but this would mean data  entry and I think you
want to avoid this. I know PALINET creates such lists. Call
1 - 800 - 233-3401. Carolyn Dearnaley Rider College

>>I saw your enquirey on the listserv and thought you might wish to know how
the Manitoba libraries are handling the same situation. We decided to encourage
the libraries to report their holdings to NL and CISTI and thus they would
appear in ROMULUS We thought long and hard about the best way to create a ULS
and what would be involved in the updating and maintaining. By the time we had
a prototype running and decided it was terrible, the other alternative
presented itself. We still have some libraries who do not have their holding in
with NL or CISTI and we will be working with NL to get those holding in so that
the next edition of ROMULUS can be used as our ULS. We plan to put the system
up on the university network and then everyone will have access to it. As well,
most of the libraries have cd-rom equipment and can order a stand alone
version.
If you want more information, give me a call. My number is
(204) 474-8749
Carolynne Presser
Director of Libraries
University of Manitoba

>>The state of New Mexico recently did a union list of serials on CD-ROM
through a contract with WLN.  WLN accepted input in machine-readable or
paper form from participating libraries, compiled it, did authority work on
it, and produced the CD-ROM.  The CD-ROM uses WLN's LaserCat software.  If
you want more information, Harold Bogart of the New Mexico State Library
headed the project ((505)827-3800).
Kathy Varjabedian
Library, P362
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Internet: varj@hyperion.lanl.gov
Voice: 505-667-3063     Fax: 505-665-2948

>>OCLC has an enormous union listing function.  No investment in software.
Non-members can play.
Your colleagues in Rochester NY may know more of it; I think they
participate.
If you're at all interested, I can find out an appropriate name for
you on OCLC staff.
(I worked for the SUNY/OCLC Network in New York State for 9 years,
implementing union  lists, and have also worked for OCLC, and can
find the right name.)
Ellen Rappaport
Schaffer Law Library
Albany Law School
(518) 445-2342
RAPPAPE%SLSCVA@SNYCENVA   <==bitnet

>>Have you thought of doing the union list with OCLC?  You don't all
need to be members, you just need one agent to enter the records
and keep them up.  We did 15,000 local data records in 1/2 last
year with one full time data entry clerk (who had some assistant
from me).  Most of the libraries filled out their own forms or
downloaded their databases onto mock-ups of the form.
Cathy Doyle
Access Services Librarian
Christopher Newport University
doyle@powhatan.cc.cnc.edu

>>I'm John Evans, and here at the University of Missouri - Columbia we
created an in-house serials management database in 1986-1987 using
the Advanced Revelation database management software on an 80286 PC-Clone.
The database originally contained 12,000 records, and has grown in the last
six years to near 16,000.  Included in that number are some 3,000 'abbreviated'
records for serials unique to the other 3 campuses in our four-campus system.
   I think any one of several "near-english" database management packages
which include developer capabilities will allow you to construct a viable union
list database, depending on how many records you have and how many/what sort
of fields you are interested in including.  The Advanced Revelation software
we use (Revelation Technologies, Seattle, WA) is relational (allows files to
interacted 'transparently') and extremely powerful, but has a STEEP learning
curve which may not be worth the return, depending on how much you really need
from the list.  Pick up any recent computing magazine with reviews of dbms
software to get an idea of other packages better suited to your needs.
     As far as qualities you simply MUST have, there are really only a few:
Variable length fields (no matter what anyone says, you must have these),
Whole field and individual character indexing (although with today's 80486
processors and up 64 MB of RAM on the Motherboard, indexed searches are
becoming much less crucial),
     Easily manipulable screens (very nice, though I suppose not absolutely
essential) and A VERSATILE REPORT GENERATOR (your data isn't much good to you
if you can't get it out of the database in a form you can use).
    You are also going to need a high degree of portability, unless you
want to re-key all the records you currently have with the outside producer.
As for hardware, I would think you will want AT LEAST an 80486 - 33MHz SX with
at least 8 MB of RAM, more if your database will exceed 5,000 records.  And,
you will need to make a decision about a printer, depending on whether you
really need fast, pretty, or a combination of the two (we have taken to using
two printers -- one for speed (the BIG reports), and the other to produce more
"eye-friendly" short outputs.  Math coprocessors are optional, depending on
how your system crunches numbers.
John Evans (ELSEVANS@MIZZOU1.MISSOURI.EDU)
University of Missouri - Columbia
Columbia, MO 65201

>>We are a fairly large public library.  Our collection of circulating items is
well over 200,000 and we circulate over a million items a year.  The periodical
collection includes newspapers and magazines and numbers approximately 500.
We created our own inhouse database union list for this library and the 17
other affiliated smaller libraries using PC File Plus from Buttonware.
program has been updated since.  The undertaking was very timely but the
results were satisfactory.  Buttonware was helpful.  I am not suggesting
that this is the best program to use, only that it can be well done given
time, time, time.
Marguerite Buck
Chester County Library and District Center
Exton, PA  19341
215-363-0884
CCLIB@CCVM.WCUPA.EDU