Joyce,

     We continue to receive many printed periodical indexes. I think they are important to continue to collect for a few reasons. Most important is their archival value. With the instability and insecurity of online aggregators and the budgetary issues involving electronic resources, I think printed indexes provide a very necessary safeguard for allowing future access to archived periodicals.

     Another reason to keep them is for the fact that some users simply feel more comfortable using them. Of course, we try to inform people as much as possible about the benefits of using our variety of online resources, but some just don't want to bother using them and are grateful that we still have the printed Reader's Guide or others.

     The final reason for us keeping them is that we often have large classes of students (30-40+) come in to use our collection, and we don't have enough computer terminals to accommodate them all. The overflow can often be served well enough with the printed indexes we keep on the tables in our department.

     I almost forgot to mention that some teachers insist that their students use resources that are not on the Internet. Even though we try to tell students that using periodical databases is not the same as getting information from the Internet, they still ask to use a printed resource.

     Hope this helps!

Stephen Headley
Manager, Magazines & Newspapers Dept.
Public Library of Cincinnati &
Hamilton Co.

-----Original Message-----
From: Radcliff, Joyce [mailto:JRadcliff@TNSTATE.EDU]
Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2004 5:14 PM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: [SERIALST] Indexes Discarding

Hello Colleagues,

How many of you are holding onto your Indexes (Readers Guide, Education,
etc.)?  I'm inclined to hold them since they come in handy when the
computers are down. Please give me your reasons to hold on to them.  We
stopped taking them in the late 90's.

Joyce

-----Original Message-----
From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum
[mailto:SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU] On Behalf Of John Lucas
Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2004 12:43 PM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: [SERIALST] Alert and a Question on Gastroenterology Clinics of
N.A.

Colleagues:

First off, the opinions below are my own and not of this instution or is
its policy.  (That said)

For those of us familiar with the Saunders (now Elsevier) ... Clinics of
North America, For at least 2 issues in the last 2 years  Vol 32 # 3
Sept. 2003 and now Vol. 33 # 1 March 2004,  the Gastroenterology Clinics
of North America have issued the regular BOUND issue and included an
Unbound Supplement !

v.  32 # 3 Theme = Pediatric Gastroenterology
                Supplement = Pharmacological principles governing the
use of Proton Pump Inhibitors: Tailoring therapy to improve GERD
outcomes The  supplement says it is based on a CME symposium... held in
2001 !

v. 33 # 1 Theme = Non cardiac chest pain
               Supplement = Maximizing the benefits of antiviral therapy
for HCV: The advantages of treating side effects. This supplement has a
CME questions and answers part, has  release, review, and expiration
dates for the CME activity.

As we know, the various .... Clinics of North America have a central
theme for each issue and although we can comprehend a little better than
the "lay person" what is what, I do not see a connection of either of
these issues and wonder why the supplements are not included as part of
a thematic issue?

Both Supplements are sponsored by different companies.  The articles in
both supplements are indexed on PubMed, so from now until the end of
time, someone is going to want to read the articles.

We had the 2003 supplement bound with the issue because it is defined
with the issue number and will probably do so with this one.

I hope that someone at Saunders / Elsevier reads this and forwards on to
the appropriate people who can come to a consensus about these
supplements and to either: 1.  Bind the supplement with the issue. 2.
Bind the supplement separately. 3.  Don't bother to publish the
supplements at all so there is no indexing. 4. Come up with some other
way to publish these supplements. 5.  Some possible senario not listed
above.

Chances are once supplements are published as they are here, it will
spread to the other ... Clinics of North America.

Sorry if my ranting/raving is somewhat incoherent.  I know you will
figure it out.

John Lucas

Serials Librarian
University of Mississippi Medical Center
2500 North State St
Jackson, MS 39216-4505

(PH) (601) 984-1277
(FAX)  ( 601) 984-1262
JLUCAS@ROWLAND.UMSMED.EDU