We have a very small area for current periodicals where we display only issues received in the past week.

Linda Grooms
Periodicals Supervisor
duPont-Ball Library
Stetson University

________________________________________
From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [SERIALST@list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of Mildred Merz [merz@OAKLAND.EDU]
Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 5:26 PM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: [SERIALST] Serials Reading Rooms

Our library is relinquishing our large "current journals" reading room for a much smaller area.  Our "current journals" room now contains all of the recent issues of newspapers and journals/magazines that we subscribe to in print.  That number, of course, is ever shrinking.

In anticipating our smaller space, we have started re-thinking what the purpose of the "current journals" area should be in the future.  We are thinking that instead of just being what we get in print that it should be a more carefully chosen group of journals/newspapers.  Perhaps the titles in "current journals" should be the core or essential titles, AND/OR perhaps they should be the more popular/readable titles that students and faculty would enjoy having in print.  We have noticed at least two libraries that
have created what they call "virtual reading rooms."   Perhaps the physical
area could be the popular/fun to read titles plus the very important interdisciplinary titles (like Nature and Science).  The "virtual reading room" could be the core/essential titles.

Has any other library dealt with this issue?  What should be in a journals reading room?  Millie Merz

--
Mildred H. Merz
Associate Professor
Kresge Library
Oakland University
Rochester, MI 48309-4484
Phone: 248-370-2457; Fax: 248-370-2474
E-mail: merz@oakland.edu