2 messages, 55 lines:
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Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1992 13:44:54 EDT
From:         Joyce Gartrell <gartrell@CUNIXF.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU>
Subject:      Re: classifying serials

Here at Columbia, several of our libraries did not class their
periodicals, but did allow classification of other serials.
Recently it was decided in Tech. Services that we would class all
serials for all libraries regardless of what the current librarian in
each library wants.  Several of them still shelve by title (although
that would seem to be problematic to me when the title changes).  But
we found in Tech Serv. that librarians change and new ones come in, and
whereas the previous librarian didn't want them classified, the new one
does, and vice versa.  So we classify all, and then those that prefer
can shelve them by title anyway, and the record online tells the user
that the title is shelved by title.  It probably varies in smaller
libraries.  Just thought I'd throw my two cents worth in. --Joyce

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Date:         Tue, 22 Sep 1992 14:07:52 -0400
From:         Judith Hopkins <ULCJH@UBVMS.BITNET>
Subject:      Re: classifying serials
X-To:         AUTOCAT@UVMVM.BITNET

    At the State University of New York at Buffalo the General Libraries
have traditionally classified serials and intershelved them with monographs;
however we, until recently, did not classify periodicals and instead shelved
them in alphabetical order by title.   We recently completed a project to
classify the periodicals (about 9,000 currently received titles plus many
thousands more of older titles).   We had previously cataloged the
periodicals so there were machine-readable records available for many of
them.   Establishing our online catalog gave us the opportunity to
classify.  We loaded the records for the periodicals and accepted the
call numbers that had been provided in the original records (e.g., 050
or 090) that we had never deleted.   We created dbase files showing
each title, its call number, location, number of volumes and shelving
space occupied to use as an aid in creating spine labels, setting up
shelving plans, etc.  All technical services staff participated in
in mass labelling projects.  It took about 2 years but was well worth
the effort.

   I was not involved in the publicity but know that efforts were made
to inform all faculty in advance; there were some complaints, of course,
but I have not heard much in the way of feedback, either negative or
positive since we carried out the project.

Judith Hopkins                            VOICE: (716) 645-2796
Technical Services Research and Analysis Officer
Central Technical Services                FAX:   (716) 645-5955
Lockwood Library Building
State University of New York at Buffalo   BITNET: ulcjh@ubvm (OR, ubvms)
Buffalo, NY  14260-2200              INTERNET: ulcjh@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu