See my answers following your questions.  We do have 4 branches
besides the main library, so I will try to address this from all
areas.

--Mary

Mary E. Bailey
Serials Librarian
509 Hale
Kansas State University Libraries
Manhattan, KS 66506-1200

Voice:  (785) 532-0678
Fax:  (785) 532-7644
e-mail:  redhead@ksu.edu

>>> mbhhbm@AMERICAN.EDU 5/3/2007 12:56:27 PM >>>

We have always had closed current periodical stacks and are
planning to
move to open stacks. I would like to get some idea of how other
academic
libraries arrange their current periodicals in open stacks.
This listserv
seems the ideal way to gather that info from many libraries.

1. Do you keep your current periodicals in a separate place
from your bound
periodicals? All current periodicals together? Or do you shelve
them mixed
in with the bound volumes?

In the main library  the current issues are shelved separately
from the bound journals.
In most of the branches, the most current issue is shelved
separately, but the older issues sit next to the bound ones
until there are enough to bind.

In the main library there are 3 locations for current
periodicals.  The social sciences humanities titles are near the
SSH ref area. The Science titles are on a different floor next
to the Science reference area.  There is a group of
multi-cultural titles in our multi-cultural center.
All of these go to the main stacks when they are bound.

2. Approximately how many subscriptions to print journals and
magazines do
you have?

We are moving to more electronic every year (400 canceled print
titles for 2007, somewhere between 550 and 850 will change from
print to online for 2008).   Maybe 4000 in print?

3. Do you eventually bind most of them or toos them?
Most are bound.  Probably less than 100 are discarded after a
specific time.

4. How do you shelve/display the current issues before they've
been bound?
(We currently are using hanging folders for the closed stacks.
I don't
think they will work well in open stacks.)

Ours lay flat on shelves in the main library.  We stack them
until they are removed to be bound or discarded.
Each branch has their own reading areas.  Some places the
journals are on flat shelves, sometimes the most current issue
is on a slanted shelf, with a flat shelf behind/below for
storing older issues.  Sometimes the current issues are in
Princeton boxes next to the bound volumes.

5. Do you restrict the use of the current periodicals to a
floor or room?
Or can they be taken anywhere in the library?
They can be used anywhere in the library building.  They can
not leave the building.

6. Do you security strip all issues, most issues, random
issues, weighted
towards titles that more often disappear?  We use tattle tape
in all those that have staples or are glued.  If they are only
folded together (newspaperish) we do not bother with security
strips.

Thank you for your replies.

Mark Hemhauser
American University Library--Serials & E-Resources
Washington, DC  20016