Serials in Libraries

This introduction to serials in libraries presents current issues and practices for library school students, beginning serials librarians, and experienced librarians new to serials management. Managing serials has become increasingly difficult as the cost of subscriptions rises faster than the rate of inflation and budgets remain the same or are cut. This covers collection development of print and online serials, principles of bibliographic control, and ways to facilitate and measure library patrons' use of serials. Chapters addressing economics, scholarly publishing, and teaching patrons about serials complement chapters on the day-to-day management of serials in libraries. As early as the 17th century, serials publication was inextricably linked to the most current developments in nearly all fields of human endeavor. Even today, serials constitute the single most important vehicle for global scholarly communication. However, the past 20 years have shown an increasing tension among the vested interests of authors, publishers, vendors, and, of course, librarians. Serials management, a complex business at the best of times, now faces a bar raised to unprecedented heights. Author Steve Black covers such traditional aspects of serials management as acquisition, evaluation, and authority control. He uses these and other functions to highlight changes in scholarly communication and, by extension, how these changes necessitate improvements in practice. Peer review, the prevailing winds of rank and tenure, and the increasingly powerful role of consortia are but a few of the challenges discussed. A final section on teaching patrons to use journals reminds the reader that nonscholars too must be a part of the dialogue. Serials management today includes decision related to online vs. print. While the emphasis is on academic libraries, the place of serials in public and special libraries is covered. The author prepares the serials librarian for a role in library instruction of patrons in libraries.

Steve Black is Reference, Instruction, and Serials Librarian, The College of Saint Rose/Adjunct Lecturer, School of Information Science and Policy, University at Albany/SUNY.