Hi,

     Earlier this year, I reported on this listserver about UW-La
Crosse's Serial Use project.  Several people have since contacted
me about how well our Videx Timewands have held up in use.  Well,
our first unit (purchased almost exactly one year ago) has conked
out (great technical term, isn't it?), victim of being dropped
innumerable times and having its read head worn down through
sheer repitition.  When I called Videx, they stated that they
will refurbish the unit into "mint condition" (their words, not
mine) for $25 - approximately 10% of the original purchase price.
Considering the value of the data we receive versus the cost of
maintaining the units (we have two, so I'm figuring a minimum of
$50/yr), we've decided to continue the project.

     Since continuous use statistics (instead of random sampling
of use) of serials is a relatively recent phenomena, I was
wondering if anyone else has gathered enough data to warrant
sharing it with a larger audience.  What do you say, folks -
anyone want to propose co-hosting a NASIG workshop on the subject
and results?  The more input from various libraries, the better!

James Huesmann
Murphy Library
University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
1631 Pine Street
La Crosse, WI 54601
(608) 785-8738

huesmann@uwlax.bitnet
huesmann@lax.wisc.edu