Another reply to Birdie's inquiry about organization of serials:
   At Utah State "The Serials Department" performs the following
functions:  ordering (where there's any $!), invoice payment, records
management (that's our Geac acquisitions/check-in system, not
cataloging records--but requires the same title tracking, etc.),
all-library mailroom, check-in, claiming, and binding (in-house
pamphlet type and outside commercial).  In addition, "Serials" includes
all management of the Current Periodicals public service area (open
stacks, informational questions, limited reference-type questions,
re-shelving, shelfreading, copy machine, etc.).
   In addition to these duties, "Serials" is technically responsible for
all collection development and acquisitions functions for the serials
collection (6,000 active titles).  This involves budgeting, campus-
wide serials reviews, etc.  However--this is a disputed territory in
our library, as the head of book acquisitions wants to be the head of
both, and the higher-ups refuse to clarify the territory.  This results
in continuous stepping on each other's toes.
   A more comfortable interface is with the cataloging department.
Serials cataloging is done under Cataloging rather than under Serials,
and we have an excellent relationship there.  The somewhat odd arrange-
ment of the Geac system, in which we keep acquisitions bibliographic-ish
info which is distinct from the "official" cataloging record could make
for complications, but so far all has gone well.
   As for supervision, as "Head of Serials," I'm responsible for everything
listed in paragraph 1, above, and for the serials collection development
and acquisitions activities.  Cataloging and book acquisitions are, of
course, distinct--each with its own department head.
   Is this arrangement workable?  Not bad.  I would, after five years, still
like some clarification on the acquisitions issue, and have in fact recently
started suggesting they reassign all acquisitions activities (book and serial)
to the book acquisitions person.  As for the public service area, my
preference would be to combine current and bound periodicals and microforms
into physically adjacent areas with a single public service desk.  At this
time, however, space does not permit such an arrangement.  I DO like the
combination of Current Periodicals and the serials check-in/claiming/etc.
operations in a single department.  Communication between these two
sections has been greatly enhanced by merging them, some five years back.

     --Jan Anderson (Utah State University)
       Bitnet: janand@usu
       Internet: janand@cc.usu.edu