This is merely an example in our own field of the academic practices that drive the serials explosion we complain about in the sciences. Some libraries are foolish enough to require librarians to write and publish papers for tenure and promotion. Most librarians do not have the desire to be researchers; if they had, they would have gone into research. They therefore do the best they can in the limited time available, and have to publish somewhere. Thus there need to be enough journals so everyone can get their quota of papers accepted. At a higher level, one gets recognition for becoming an editor. You could substitute junior college teachers for librarians, and the argument would be the same. Librarians who like this system say they like the faculty status that often goes with it. Apparently they want to spend their time on status, and university committees, not library work. Its not the salary, because some of the good libraries that insist on faculty status and publications have relatively low pay rates. I am under no delusion that my academic quality is the same as the faculty here, and I see no point in pretending otherwise. My library permits us to write, it does not require us. Some of us do. That doesn't make us better librarians, nor are we evaluated on that basis. I have published papers in reviewed library journals. Why? because I like a wide audience. When I was starting as a librarian, I was too busy learning my job. If I had needed to publish then, I wouldn't have written anything worthwhile, and I wouldn't have become a particularly good librarian either. -- David Goodman (Ph.D., molecular biology) Biology Librarian and Co-chair, Electronic Journals Task force Princeton University Library Princeton, NJ 08544-0001 phone: 609-258-3235 fax: 609-258-2627 e-mail: dgoodman@princeton.edu James Mouw wrote: > > OK - I'll fire the first volley. I have seen a couple of other > announcements about this and a host of other new highly-specialized > Haworth Press journals. > > I personally find this extreme splintering journals to be not only > unfortunate, but actually absurd. To begin a number of new titles at the > very time when well established journals are having a difficult time > obtaining papers to publish is illogical. The "number and format of > serial information" may have exploded, but no one is writing about it, and > there are several existing options for publication if any are written. > > I would welcome comments from Haworth as to their reasoning behind the > establishment of this and other recently announced journals, and who they > think is going to buy them. > > Jim Mouw > > ++++++++++++++ > James R. Mouw > Acquisitions Librarian > Electronic Resources Officer > The University of Chicago Library > 1100 E. 57th St. > Chicago, Illinois, 60637 > 773 702-8732 > fax 773-702-3016 > <mouw@MIDWAY.UCHICAGO.EDU> > > At 12:11 PM 3/9/01 -0500, Deborah Lee <dlee@LIBRARY.MSSTATE.EDU> wrote: > >CALL FOR PAPERS > > > >(Please excuse multiple postings!) > > > >Serials Reference Services Quarterly (SRSQ), a new journal by Haworth > >Press, is looking for articles dealing with all aspects of reference work > >and serials librarianship. As the number and format of serial information > >has exploded, the challenges and opportunities facing public service > >professionals has grown exponentially. SRSQ will publish applied and > >theoretical works aimed at assisting in the effective use of serials in > >both print and electronic formats. Possible topics include: > > > > Tips for managing the public services journal collections and > >reading rooms. > > Evaluating indexing and abstracting services for the electronic > >environment. > > Supporting reference services for multiple electronic journal > >interfaces. > > Promoting Electronic Journals Collections > > Library instruction strategies for electronic and print journal > >collections. > > Government Documents Serials. > > Web serial resources for the Reference Librarian. > > Effective Public and Technical Services Collaborations > > > >These are just a few of the topics SRSQ will cover. The first issue is > >scheduled for Spring 2002. SRSQ welcomes submissions from new writers! > >Manuscript instructions may be found at: > ><http://www2.msstate.edu/%7Edol1/instr.htm>http://www2.msstate.edu/~dol1/i > nstr.htm > ><<http://www2.msstate.edu/%7Edol1/instr.htm>http://www2.msstate.edu/~dol1/ > instr.htm> > > > >Please contact the editor, Deborah Lee at dlee@library.msstate.edu > ><<mailto:dlee@library.msstate.edu>mailto:dlee@library.msstate.edu> with any > questions. > > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > >Deborah Lee > >Assistant Professor/Reference Services Librarian > >Editor, Serials Reference Services Quarterly (SRSQ) > >Mississippi State University Libraries > >dlee@library.msstate.edu > <<mailto:dlee@library.msstate.edu>mailto:dlee@library.msstate.edu> > >Telephone: 662-325-7682 Fax: 662-325-9131
