I generally do larger bindery shipments in summer & over break (as do many other libraries).  I do understand that's a busy time for binderies, but it's the nature of the business & if they don't "like" it they need to be doing something else.  (Spoken like a true farmer's daughter - seasons are seasons are seasons, things grow in some and not in others ;-)?)

The titles of issues that tend to disappear (and we all have them, and know which ones they are) I have a note on the checkin record, "send to bindery immediately when last issue of volume is checked in."

Jeanette L. Skwor
Serials Dept., Cofrin Library
University of WI-Green Bay
2420 Nicolet Drive
Green Bay, WI  54311-7003

(920) 465-2670

"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 Kathy Nystrom
Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 9:23 AM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: [SERIALST] Bindery priorities/schedule

Hi, all:

Our binder (Heckman) prefers shipments in a steady stream, & pickups are every 3 weeks.  We tend to bind when our serials system (III) notifies us that enough issues have accumulated for a volume-altho we wait for another issue to arrive, so that there is always a current issue or two on the shelf.  However, we've received some comments about the lack of availability of certain key journals during particular parts of a semester.  We've considered batching binding during slow times-like summer and between semesters-altho the binder probably wouldn't like it too much, and having loose issues around for an extended time increases the chances of missing issues.  Another alternative is to somehow identify specific titles and allow them to accumulate unbound until a slack period or until a particular class isn't being offered.  The only way we can think of to identify these titles would be direct requests from faculty or subject liaisons.

Does anyone else out there have a better plan?  Any and all suggestions welcome!

Kathleen A. Nystrom, MLS
Head of Technical Services
Eden-Webster Library System
470 East Lockwood Avenue
St. Louis, MO  63119-3194
(314)968-7151
(314)963-6086 (fax)
knystrom@webster.edu