My guess is: whoever edited the OCLC record took the publisher at their word & treated it as a merge, but #2 is what actually ended up happening (and the publisher doesn't understand the difference between a merge and a cease).

Looking at Healthcare Traveler, I don't see much content overlap with RN -- seems like RN did actually cease, and the publisher subbed in HT so as to send us *something*.

...sigh.

Sometimes serials work is a roller coaster.  Sometimes it's more like a tilt-a-whirl.  Or one of those 8-story freefall drop rides...

Laura Kane McElfresh
Asst. Director, Library Services
 
Oklahoma State University - Oklahoma City
900 N. Portland Ave.       Phone: 405-945-9104
Oklahoma City, OK 73107    Fax:   405-945-3289

-----Original Message-----
From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of Barbara Pope
Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 9:41 AM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: [SERIALST] RN vs. Healthcare Traveler - the mystery continues

Well, I have gotten back many responses about my question regarding RN and
Healthcare Traveler.  Thank you very much for your responses. However,
they bring to mind even more questions.  Several people even copied and
pasted what the publisher or a vendor emailed to them.  Almost all the
responses I got are from two different camps:

1) RN merged into Healthcare Traveler.

2) RN simply ceased and the Healthcare Traveler issues received in 2009
were merely to fill out the rest of the subscription.

What I don't understand is if #2 is true, why is there an added entry in
the OCLC record for Healthcare Traveler for previous title?  If RN did not
really merge into Healthcare Traveler, RN would simply be a dead title.
Perhaps the publisher does not understand the difference between a merge
and a ceased title?

Working in serials is kind of like riding on a roller coaster with lots of
twists and turns . . .

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Barbara M. Pope, MALS
Periodicals/Reference Librarian
Axe Library
Pittsburg State University
1701 S. Broadway
Pittsburg KS  66762
620-235-4884
bpope@pittstate.edu