Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1992 14:59:56 PDT
From: Mitch Turitz <turitz@SFSUVAX1.SFSU.EDU>
Subject: RE: formal vs informal serials instruction

>
> I would like to know if any of you attended a library science program which
> offered a course specifically dealing with serials.  Did you take the course?
> If not, why not?  If so, would you recommend the course?  What changes would
> you recommend?  What aspects of serials librarianship were not covered in the
> course that you would like to see added?  To what extent did the course help
> you in the performance of your work?

No, I did not.

>
> If you did not attend a program which offered a serials course, were serials
> covered in any of the classes which you did take?  In what courses?  To what
> extent?  How relevent were those modules with regards to your work?  Would you
> recommend the addition of a serials course to the library science program?
>
No, I did not take any serials courses in Library School.  I thought I
would become a reference librarian.  Boy was I wrong!

> CONTINUING SERIALS EDUCATION- for those of you who had a serials course, what
> types of serials workshops have you attended?  How would you compare their
> relevancy and effectiveness to a formal serials course?  To what extent do you
> feel that continuing education could replace formal serials courses?  What
> aspects of serials work do you feel are not adequately covered in workshops?
>

I did have a course taught by Linda Bartley of LC in one of the two day
seminars they occasionally teach in serials cataloging.  It included a
CONSER manual and was taught around the country at various
times/locations.
> Again, I would appreciate your comments and opinions.  If there is anything
> else that you could add concerning this subject, I would greatly appreciate
> it.
>
>
> Laurie Mackellar
> University of Kentucky (Everyone watch the Derby, ok?)
>
 I learned more on the job in the first month working for CONSER then I
learned in all of library school.  That is not to say anything bad about
the library school I attended (U. of Michigan) but that theory does not
in any way really compare with actual experience when it comes to
cataloging.

I also had to train student assistants in the MARC format for
retrospective conversion in one of my previous jobs.  I found that
students with prior library TECHNICAL SERVICES experience to be much
more useful, easier to train, and more productive then library
school students with no prior experience.  (Even if the library
school studdents were taking cataloging).  Generally, technical
experience was a much better qualification.

Also, if you are ever in a position to hire staff and you are asked if
you would prefer to hire 2 or 3 student assistants vs. 1 full-time
employee - GO WITH THE FULL-TIME EMPLOYEE.  It takes so long to train
someone to deal with serials that they become valuable and you
hate to see them go.  Students leave constantly and are always changing
their schedules, so that their efficiency in tech services is no
advantage over permanent staff.

"The above statements are my own and do not reflect any institution,
person, place or thing"

**********************************************
* Mitch Turitz, Serials Librarian            *
* San Francisco State University Library     *
* 1630 Holloway Ave., S.F., CA  94132        *
* Voice: (415) 338-7883  FAX: (415) 338-6199 *
* Internet: turitz@sfsu.edu                  *
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