I am very much in favor of this approach because it places all the issues of
the journal in one single location, something that many researchers will
appreciate.

That said, I believe there is more serendipity in browsing the regular
shelves than in browsing selected journals on display, but that may depend on
whether the journals are shelved alphabetically or classified.  If they are
classified, the regular shelves are a better place for serendipity and
browsing, as far as I'm concerned.

aline

Aline Soules
Cal State East Bay
510-885-4596
aline.soules@csueastbay.edu

-----Original Message-----
From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum
[mailto:SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU] On Behalf Of Thompson, Allison
Sent: Wednesday, March 19, 2008 6:33 AM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: [SERIALST] Cross-discipline journal discovery

In the McMaster libraries, we have done away with current issue displays
(as of last week); all issues are shelved in the stacks once they
arrive.

I had a patron come in with a very interesting question: Now that the
current journal issues are not displayed, what means of serendipitous
discovery of journal content across disciplines is there?

Though his specialty is Biochemistry,  he used to go to our science
library to look at the new issues of ALL journals on display
(mathematics, computer science, etc.) He now believes that because the
current issues are 'hidden' and you have to know what you are looking
for to find them, that his research will suffer from lack of a wider
viewpoint.

I pointed him to databases, RSS alerts and publisher's webpages, but in
these instances you still have to know a little something about what you
are looking for before you find it.

Does anyone have any other suggestions for cross-discipline journal
discovery?

Are there websites you know of that meet this need? Or do your libraries
have 'homemade' solutions?

Your input is appreciated!

Sincerely,  Allison

__________________________________

Allison Thompson

eResources Librarian

Health Sciences Library

McMaster University

Hamilton, ON

905-525-9140 ext. 22609

http://hsl.mcmaster.ca