Hi Lisa,

I think the route you take to finding your solution--the time you spend, the investment you make in the tools--should be informed (to some extent anyway) by your collection goals and usage, as well as staff time and expertise.

I will be presenting a poster session at the upcoming NASIG conference about how our small(ish), urban, community college library moved in the direction away from our Kardex & ALEPH ILS serials/acq system, and now uses a customized (somewhat homegrown) system to track our shrinking print periodicals. Thing is, we can do this because: a) we don't claim (much), and b) we don't archive our collection (except for Alternative Press subscriptions). Also, it is a more sustainable use of staff time and is more in alignment with our usage stats.  It's worth mentioning, our college enrollment has increased by 50% over the last 5-7 years, but our library staffing has not. Something had to give :)

Here's the description of my poster session proposal:

Progressing Print Periodicals Processing: One Urban Community College Library's Perspective

ABSTRACT: This poster session will detail the progress MCTC Library has made adjusting its print periodicals processing practices.

DESCRIPTION: Not long ago, Minneapolis Community and Technical College Library (MCTC) had a serious workflow sustainability problem. For years, the electronic resources collection (including aggregated journal database and e-journal subscriptions) had been growing at a steady rate, but the library staff had not adjusted its print periodicals processing practices in response to this evolution.

In the fall of 2009, the library staff decided to make some drastic changes. These involved retiring longstanding practices (Kardex, prediction patterns, individual catalog item records in the ILS), adding new technologies (customized forms, Google spreadsheets, visualization web pages), adjusting procedures (deleting existing item records, discontinuing barcode labels, altering other physical labeling processes) and planning for the future (routinely checking online access, aggressively weeding the print collection, adjusting retention policies, and establishing criteria for subscriptions).

jennifer a. sippel, librarian/instructor
Mpls Comm & Tech College
1501 Hennepin Ave S
Mpls, MN 55403
612.659.6434

-----Original Message-----
From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of Lisa Pate
Sent: Monday, April 25, 2011 8:16 PM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: [SERIALST] Check in/maintain/catalog serials

Hello everyone,

I have just started a serials manager position in a small academic library that currently does not use the ILS to check in serials.  We are currently using a series of cards for each periodical/newspaper.  As such, these serials are not cataloged similarly to the rest of our holdings.  I am wondering:  (1) What methods other small libraries use to keep track of serials?  (2) Is there a better, automated method of keeping track of these serials outside the ILS?  (3) Any suggestions as to getting our serials collection into a simpler, electronic system?

Thank you,
Lisa Pate
Library Information Specialist II
UNM Valencia Campus Library
505-925-8992