Thanks to all the people who responded both on- and off-list to my query last week. I really appreciate that so many of you took the time to reply, I'm glad that I have access to Serialst as you're all such a helpful bunch!

Your replies were quite varied, but it seems we're all suffering to some degree the variation between what is known about titles and what is reported via the coverage load vendors. I wonder if some of the problems stem from the coverage load having been a follow-on from A-Z lists? Do you think we'd accept one entry in an A-Z list more easily than we would in our catalogue? We've don't have a link resolver yet, our problems will only multiply when we do!

Thanks to Chad Hutchens for the reference to the UKSG report, (http://www.uksg.org/resolvers) I found that really informative and can see that my worries are just a small part of the whole thing. Thanks also to Ann Ercelawn for pointing to the KBART group (http://www.niso.org/workrooms/kbart) that has followed on from the report, we'll follow their progress with interest.

Peter McCracken made it clear that Serials Solutions expects and welcomes corrections from libraries, so go get checking and correcting! I had been blithely assuming that there was a mighty database being maintained by SS people doing the typing, but his description of the "rules management module" implies they're trying to do it with automated loads from the publishers - is that right?

Is there anybody out there who uses Ebsco A-Z who'd be willing to answer some questions off-list? (Preferably an "Innovative" library)

Thanks all for your comments.

Regards,

Helen Cahill
Cataloguer, Collection Services
Massey University Library
Private Bag 11054
Palmerston North 4442
NEW ZEALAND

Ph: + 64 6 350 5799 ext 7876
Fax: + 64 6 350 5692
emai: H.Cahill@massey.ac.nz<mailto:H.Cahill@massey.ac.nz>
http://library.massey.ac.nz