Our library receives between 12,000 and 13,000 active serial titles, of
which roughly 2/3 come in on exchange or deposit.  Summer students are
currently handling most of our routine serials checkin.   Our already small
unit has been reduced to myself (doubling as the exchange librarian due to
an untimely death), 1 fulltime technician, and one technician who works
with us halftime.  Quirky serials are handled by these expert technicians.
One of the students has also done ejournal link checking, making sure that
fulltext and licenses are available for each purchased online journal.

The problem for us with abandoning print copy checkin wholesale is that
earth science literature tends to be valuable even when it is ancient.
Researchers have found clues to current research in some of our dustier
volumes.  Add to that the fact that, for some materials, we may be the only
U.S. or worldwide holding library and I just do not see us having the
luxury of giving up much of our print checkin load anytime soon.  Perhaps
if some entity gets busy obtaining copyrights and digitizing millions of
pages of old serial material...or is that a pipe dream?

Diane M. Lewis, Serial Records Librarian
U.S. Geological Survey Library--MS950
Reston, Virginia  20192  USA
Tel. 703-648-4399
Fax 703-648-6376

Opinions expressed are my own, not my agency's!

"When 96% of the native forests in this nation are gone, what balance can
be struck over the meager 4% remaining?"--John F. Borowski