I have been working with serials since 1997.  I used to spend a great deal of time trying to complete volumes and acquire back issues mostly through BACKSERV.   However, with the increase in electronic resources, I am not sure that this is still of value.   Any gaps in the collection can be covered through interlibrary loan.

Now that we have online access, about 75% of our former print collection has been discarded.   We stopped binding in 2008 and only kept issues in Princeton files because we predicted that most of the current collection would be replaced by online and that prediction has come true.   Every time we acquire online access the print goes.  This morning I am discarding back issues for 43 more titles.  



Judith A. Koveleskie, MLIS, MA
Serials Librarian
Seton Hill University
Reeves Memorial Library
1 Seton Hill Drive
Greensburg, PA 15601-1548
kovelesk@setonhill.edu
724-838-7828
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On Tue, Jan 5, 2016 at 9:11 AM, Miller, Abigail S <amiller@law.utexas.edu> wrote:

Hi Monica,

Our general rule of thumb is that we will bind titles incomplete if we have current online access. This includes binding titles as incomplete if they end in the middle of a volume. We circulate individual issues to faculty and that often leaves us with gaps. We used to re-bind the volume if a missing issue was returned, but these days we don’t even do that. We will just put a permanent barcode on the loose issue and shelve it after the bound volume if necessary.

We do try to bind complete things that would be unique to our collection, such as local newsletters or items published by the institution, since we may wind up being the only complete copy.

I hope this helps.

 

Abigail Miller

Interim Head of Technical Services

Tarlton Law Library | Jamail Center for Legal Research

The University of Texas School of Law

727 E. Dean Keeton Street | Austin, TX 78705-3224

amiller@law.utexas.edu

512-471-1507 | 512-471-0243 [Fax]

 

 

 

From: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@LISTSERV.NASIG.ORG] On Behalf Of Monica Howell
Sent: Monday, January 04, 2016 4:16 PM
To: SERIALST@LISTSERV.NASIG.ORG
Subject: [SERIALST] Filling in back issues of print journals?

 

Hello all,

 

I'm a relatively new serials technician and have been debating the relative merits of filling in incomplete volumes of print journals at my institution.  Sometimes there's a gap in the middle of a run that seems obvious to fill when presented with the opportunity, particularly for a title with no online access or to which we might conceivably no longer have online access at some future time.  Other times our holdings for a certain title end in the middle of a volume, and I'm left with the decision about whether to attempt to complete that volume.

 

What is your institution's approach to this situation?  Would you try to complete a volume at the end of your print holdings for a title?  Would it matter if you had online access, particularly if you felt your institution would always maintain that access due to the importance/status of the title?

 

I appreciate your thoughts!

 

Best,

  Monica

 

Monica Howell, MLS, EdS
Serials Technician, Archivist
Greenawalt Library
Northwestern Health Sciences University

2501 W. 84th St., Bloomington, MN 55431
mhowell@nwhealth.edu
P: 952-888-4777 x218

 

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