At UB, we used the card catalog with a holdings card for "serials" which by
our definition were any serial publication annual or less frequently
issued.  We had a separate periodicals holdings list on those giant
printouts generated by mainframes.  The major downsides to the printout
method were the limited retrieval options...main entry with very few cross
references and batch updating resulting in less than current information.

Susan Davis
Head, Periodicals
University at Buffalo (SUNY)
134 Lockwood Library
Buffalo, NY  14260-2210
(716) 645-2784
(716) 645-5955 fax
unlsdb@buffalo.edu

My opinions are my own and in no way reflect the official position of my
institution.

--On Wednesday, June 02, 2004 12:12 PM -0400 Robert Dowd
<RDOWD@MAIL.NYSED.GOV> wrote:

> Some libraries had serials [card] catalogs with holdings data recorded on
> the cards (I typed many!) within it.  The main card catalog referred
> people from bibliographic cards for periodicals to the serials catalog
> for the holdings details.
>
>
>>>> BLACKS@MAIL.STROSE.EDU 06/02/04 11:19AM >>>
> Back when libraries still had card catalogs, and even before word
> processing, how were periodicals holdings lists kept? Were there
> annotations on the cards in the catalog? Was the Kardex kept near
> reference? Some other method?
>
> Curious,
>
> Steve Black
> Reference, Serials, and Instruction Librarian
> The College of Saint Rose
> 392 Western Avenue
> Albany, NY 12203-1419
> blacks@strose.edu
> (518)458-5494
>
>