Hmm.  I was going to say I'd suggest a subject search, explaining then
that all the titles on that subject will be shelved in the same area.
But then I went to your website, plugged in physiology, and came up,
first, with Acta Physiologica, "Shelved by Title".  ???

Another thought is that it may be more efficient for the patron to
search (browse) databases for useful articles before he/she goes hunting
for the actual periodical.

Obviously, the patron is frustrated, and in a totally different place
than those of you who work with the collection day in and day out. You
might want to consider how many people actually take the time to express
that frustration and how many just leave the library in disgust.  And -
you may want to consider providing the requested list.  Maybe it's time
for a survey of library patrons?

Good luck!

Jeanette L. Skwor
Serials Dept., Cofrin Library
University of WI-Green Bay
Green Bay, WI  54311-7003

"Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will
get you through times of no libraries."
                              Anne Herbert, The Whole Earth Catalog

-----Original Message-----
From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum
[mailto:SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU] On Behalf Of Naomi Young
Sent: Friday, August 25, 2006 2:58 PM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: [SERIALST] What would YOU say to this disgruntled patron?

What would you say if you had been asked to answer this electronic
reference query?
---
Reference Question = I would like to peruse various periodicals related
to Africa, political science, economics, sociology, history, religion,
etc. It would certainly have been nice if UF would have arranged the
periodicals alphabetically (like most major universities, including the
Ivy league). Instead I have to find the call number for each periodical!
This is crazy! Is an alphabetical list available? If not, can one be
posted electronically and also a hard copy posted in the periodical
room? I'm sure other students are going to be driven mad when they
cannot simply walk into the library and read Time, Newsweek or Sports
Illustrated, but instead have to find a computer and figure out where
the magazine is located.
------

The snide answers that are leaping to my fingers are neither kind nor
user-centered... I'm curious ... what would YOU say?

(Bonus points for Ivy League respondents who class their unbound
issues)!

Friday regards,
Naomi Young

Naomi K. Young
Principal Serials Cataloger
Cataloging & Metadata Dept.
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611-7007
(352) 392-0355 ext 234
naomi@uflib.ufl.edu