For those of you who weren't able to attend ALA in Chicago, I'd like to present this year's Worst Serial Title Change of the Year Awards, as selected by the ALA ALCTS Serials Section Worst Serial Title Change of the Year Committee. 1. American Industrial Hygiene Association: Let me make this perfectly clear Award. The American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal changed its name to AIHAJ, with the following explanatory note found on the editorial page. "We must begin to indicate that our mission is to promote knowledge in the science of occupational and environmental health and safety. Changing our name from the American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal to simply AIHAJ, clarifies that direction." But just in case that clarification was not made perfectly clear to you, they add a subtitle to AIHAJ: Journal for the Science of Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety. 2. The "Snap, Crackle and POP" Award: Electronics at it's best?! "Electronics Now" has merged with "Popular electronics" to become "Poptronics". What?! 3. The "If it's the year 2000, this must be Turkmenistan" Award "If It's the Year 2000, This must be Turkmenistan" Lifetime Achievement Award: This is awarded to the Economist Intelligence Unit for changing the countries it reports on in its annual Country Profiles and quarterly Country Reports series each and every year. The changes caught by catalogers (and there may be additional ones) for 1999 are: single report for Bosnia/Herzegovina/Croatia to separate ones for Bosnia/Herzegovina and Croatia; single report for Kyrgyz Republic/Tajikistan/Turkmenistan to a separate one for Kyrgyz Republic/Tajikistan and one for Turkmenistan; single report for Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania to three separate reports, one for each country; single report for Yugoslavia/ Macedonia to separate reports for each country; and, finally, single report for Uganda/Rwanda/Burundi to one report for Rwanda/Burundi and a separate report for Uganda. There has been a complete reorganization of the Caribbean with Belize, Bahamas, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Turks & Caicos Islands Reports being changed to Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Netherlands Antilles, Aruba, Turks & Caicos Islands, Cayman Islands. Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico changed to Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, while Cuba got its own report. Jamaica, Barbados regrouped to Jamaica, Belize, Organization of East Caribbean States (Windward & Leeward Islands), while Guyana lost the Windward & Leeward Islands and joined with Trinidad & Tobago and Suriname. There may be more, but we are afraid they have been lost in the Bermuda triangle. 4. The " Different Moods, Different Titles Award:" Moody's bank & finance news reports; Moody's industrial news reports; Moody's OTC unlisted news reports; Moody's public utility news reports; Moody's transportation news reports; Moody's OTC industrial news reports, all of which were loose-leaf weekly reports, became Mergent Corporate News Reports, a monthly soft-bound volume without binder holes. Furthermore, the cataloging record has the following 856: Weekly news reports http://www.FISonline.com, which again brings up the weekly thing. Are we having fun yet? After this, we weren't in the "mood" for anymore title changes! No "Snake in the Grass Award"! Well, maybe we librarians decided to start off the new millenium on the right foot. We did not identify any candidates for this "prestigious" award this year. Maybe we're all snake charmers now?! And now for the Worst: a tie! 5. The "Please pass the Rolaids Award". Write up: This Award goes to the Institute of Management Accountants, who had already been causing serials catalogers to complain of stomach upset because their journal, Management Accounting, crosses a calendar year with its volume numbering. But, indigestion set in when they changed the title in the middle of the volume to Strategic Finance. Indigestion turned to heartburn when they started a new journal, (while still publishing Strategic Finance), called Management Accounting Quarterly, which of course has Management Accounting as a variant title. Acid reflux struck when they gave they then gave the following URL for people wishing to submit manuscripts to Management Accounting Quarterly as www.strategicfinancing.com. Please pass the Rolaids! and The "Federal Shenanigans Award", or the "Are we there yet, Mommy?" Award Goes to Federal Highway Administration Office of Motor Carriers Register. [There is also a special honorable mention award added to this one, as after it had been submitted, it had another title change and the contributor had to send us a revision!] These are the kinds of title changes that make catalogers want to grind their gears. In March of 1999 the Federal Highway Administration Office of Motor Carriers Register, (8 words), changed it's name to Federal Highway Administration Office of Motor Carrier and Highway Safety Register, (11 words). After traveling this long and winding road for several months, they apparently hit a bump, and decided to jettison some of the load. In October of 1999 the name was changed to: Department of Transportation Office of Motor Carrier Safety Register, (9 words). Feeling that this one was indeed the optimum length with which to start the new millenium, in Jan of 2000 the title was again changed to: Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Register, (9 words). Seems the Federal Highway Administration is due for a transmission overhaul. Are we there yet Mommy? Or is this just a potty break? Thanks to Committee members Barbara Watson, Cornell University and Susan Williams, University of Colorado, and everyone who submitted a nomination. Want more Worst Title Changes? Visit our website at: http://www.ala.org/alcts/organization/ss/worst.html The complete list for 2000 will be posted there soon. You can also see the list of winners for years 1984-1999 posted there now. You also submit more of your "worst" to me at the address listed below for next year's awards. Gene Dickerson Eugene Dickerson Head, Bibliographic Unit Serial Records Section National Library of Medicine Bldg. 38, Rm. B1W10 8600 Rockville Pike Bethesda, MD 20894 (301) 435-7072 dickerse@mail.nlm.nih.gov
