When I read Judith's first reply to Sharon's  query, I almost sent this.  Then
I read her second message.  I agree with it, in fact, I think selection without
 input from faculty is somewhat irresponsible.  Selection decisions can be made
 without direct faculty input if the selector knows the needs, etc., of the dep
artment (which, after all, is her/his professional responsibility), but the lon
g-term investment represented by a serial subscription must be made with the lo
ng-term goals and needs of the discipline, in particular, the specific departme
nt or even professor kept in mind.

To get back to Judith's first message - let's be honest, some (many?) faculty D
O think of us as clerks working for them.  That's one of the biggest problems a
cademic librarians face and it isn't going to change unless we make it change.
 Many of us are trying, but it's an uphill battle, complicated by the fact that
 some of us not only aren't trying, but are, frankly, hurting the cause.  I kno
w this doesn't really have anything specifically to do with Serials, so I won't
 say any more, but I couldn't resist putting my two cents in on this one.

David James
Head of Acquisitions
The Milton S. Eisenhower Library
The Johns Hopkins University