Enumeration question (Fiona McPherson) ERCELAA@ctrvax.Vanderbilt.Edu 16 Sep 1997 16:03 UTC
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 1997 09:46:22 +0000 From: "Fiona A. McPherson" <Fiona.McPherson@FCT-CF.X400.GC.CA> Subject: Enumeration question (Mitch Turitz) -Reply We automated our kardex system over four years ago. We decided at the time to keep the enumeration of the issues and volumes as they are stated on each volume. We have not had any complaints or problems explaining things. Being a federal institution of the Canadian government, we have publications in both English and French. We could have standardized everything to the same descriptions, or even moved in a completely unorthodox direction and used legal citation methods, but it all seemed to be too confusing for all involved, least of which, the training of the check-in clerk. Can you imagine how much more time it would take to use a concordance at check-in versus just copying what actually appears on the issue? With all the other lists you will most likely be making (exceptions, exceptions, exceptions) why have another when it's so much easier to report it "as is"? Every September we get a new crop of law clerks arriving at the Court. Fortunately, they have already learned how to read a legal citation after two years of law school, so we don't have to teach them how to translate it into something readable. It only makes sense to us in Tech. Services and in Reference Services to have the check-in record reflect the information as it appears on the journal being cited. If the citations are done properly and according to proper citation format, don't they refer to the volume and issue as they appear on the periodical, not some translation thereof? As for foreign languages, as you stated, if they can't understand the citation in the foreign language, will they understand the article? And as our colleague Ms. Zappen stated, is it not part of the function of Reference Services to show your students how to read these citations? Perhaps a clear illustration of different citation formats at your OPAC terminals or at the Ref. Desk, would be more useful than constantly translating at check-in. In the end, with all the rules and standards we use in our libraries, we also need to be flexible in order to reflect the individual needs of our clients and the unique nature of our organizations. In the end, you will do the same, but I suggest you find whatever is easiest. Automating kardex, although it provides a wealth of information for several areas of the library, does not save time... not in anyone's technicolour dreams, so find the easiest, most efficient and most easily understood method you can before you step off the slippery slope of automating serials... And remember, it all comes out in the OPAC. Best of luck! Fiona A. McPherson Collection Development Librarian Federal Court of Canada fiona.mcpherson@fct-cf.x400.gc.ca (Phew!)