Hi, Jaime,

This is an interesting question. Most people seem to be finding what
they want on an article-level basis from the online indexing databases,
especially if they only want full-text and it's included or linked
through a link resolver, as you mention, or other linking arrangements
(sometimes publishers or aggregators have agreed to link each others'
full-text, like JSTOR and Project Muse, or EBSCOhost and some
publishers. You have to ask what linking arrangements are available in
your various interfaces, and enable it.) Also, some libraries have some
kind of subject guide web pages that they produce themselves, directing
patrons to good databases or journals for the subjects they want; some
also have tutorials. Some academic libraries rely on faculty
recommendations to their students. As I mentioned in a previous post, I
am trying to promote email alerts and the availability of RSS feeds so
that people get current awareness notification of new issues as they
come out; sometimes I forward parts of alerts I get to faculty that I
know are interested, but a more automated way would obviously be less
labor-intensive and better for us. (They used to call this Selective
Dissemination of Information, or SDI, just to make it easy to remember!
;) Speaking of labor intensive, some law libraries, for instance, used
to route photocopies to all law faculty that included tables of contents
from law journals as they were published.) I also like to work with
faculty on collaborative collection development for our print and
continuing resources, not only to promote email alerts/RSS, but to make
them more aware of what we have, so they pass it on to their students. I
tell them what the highly recommended titles are, and they tell me which
ones they keep up with--there's usually a lot of overlap, needless to
say. I'd like to do departmental subject guide/portal web pages of some
kind, too, perhaps through a wiki, for the students--this is kind of in
progress right now. When I'm doing my Reference shifts, or library
instruction, I also like to recommend good journals to students on their
topics as I'm showing them the databases (and how they can check
"peer-reviewed" and what it means.) I've thought about doing "featured"
journals in the library newsletter or home page or some other way, too.
Some libraries put out newly arrived periodicals in a separate section
and promote that, but as we're getting away from print, you'd almost
have to add some table tents or posters or something in the computer
areas, with links in the Library News on the library home page also.
These are only some of the ideas I've come up with so far--I don't think
this is a question we've really grappled with as we move away from
print, but probably should, so thanks for bringing it up. I hope it's
not More Than You Ever Wanted to Know!

Sue

Hammond, Jaime wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> The E-Only Access question brought another question to my mind- if you
> are switching to mainly electronic versions, how are your patrons
> finding and accessing the journals?
>
> My main question is this- is there another (free) way besides a link
> resolver?
>
> Thank you,
>
> Jaime Hammond
>
>
>
> Jaime Hammond, MLS
> Reference/Serials Librarian
> Max R. Traurig LRC Library
> Naugatuck Valley Community College
> 750 Chase Parkway
> Waterbury, CT 06708-3089
> Phone: (203) 575-8199
> E-mail: jhammond@nvcc.commnet.edu <mailto:jhammond@nvcc.commnet.edu>
> Visit the library blog at: http://nvcclib.blogspot.com
>
>
>

--

Sue Wiegand

Periodicals Librarian

123 Cushwa-Leighton Library

Saint Mary’s College

Notre Dame, IN 46556

574 284-4789

swiegand@saintmarys.edu <mailto:swiegand@saintmarys.edu>