A wiki would be better than nothing. It is a resource we use.
Michael Lampley
Serials Librarian
Texas Christian University

Fort Worth, TX 76129--- On Tue 03/06, Jesse Holden < jholden@STANFORD.EDU > wrote:From: Jesse Holden [mailto: jholden@STANFORD.EDU]To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDUDate: Tue, 6 Mar 2007 13:16:10 -0800Subject: Re: [SERIALST] Standard Reference and ILL Source Falling into the CracksDepending on how much collective interest there is for this resource, it could be set it up online as a wiki. Then it could be updated and edited in real-time. Perhaps the number of responses to this idea could be used to gauge whether or not there is a critical mass of interested practitioners?Jesse HoldenOrdering LibrarianStanford University LibrariesLeland Alkire wrote:> We just received word from Thomson Gale that the monograph Periodical> Title Abbreviations, just issued in its 17th edition and containing> over 240,000 cryptic short forms and their full titles, will be> discontinued once this latest press run (January '07) is exhausted.> Dispite urgings to do so, Thomson Gale does
not plan to issue the> work in digital form. The issue at Thomson Gale appears to be one> of "no big bucks involved so why should we bother?" A common story> in publishing these days.>> PTA has been of value to reference and ILL librarians for over 30> years in larger research institutions and other libraries. It would> be a shame if it were to die without an effort to find another way to> continue the service that it has provided. >> I have been the editor of this work since the 1970's and hold the> copyright. Any ideas out there about where I should take this> reference source next? We could simply put it on the net as a free> source or maybe Google or Yahoo would take it in, but unless someone> keeps updating it with the thousands of new short forms that continue> to be created by the information world it will lose its currency. I > am turning 70 and am in retirement as an former librarian, so there> is some future limit
to my role in this. My wife, still working as a> librarian (schools) has been the other editor. We have given a great> deal to this effort over the years and cannot bear to just let it> drop. We have thought of contacting a larger university press to see> what interest might exist. Any ideas would be appreciated. >> Beyond this, our thanks go out to all the librarians who offered> those wise and sound suggestions toward the improvement of PTA over> the years. You made a difference to many a perplexed researcher> - all over the world.>> Lee Alkire>> Reference Librarian, Eastern Washington University, Retired>> LeeAlkire@mail.com>

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