----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Forwarded with permission from the author.

Date:         Sat, 29 Oct 1994 13:49:40 -0230
Sender:       "AUTOCAT: Library cataloging and authorities discussion group"
              <AUTOCAT@UBVM.CC.BUFFALO.EDU>
From:         Charley Pennell <cpennell@morgan.ucs.mun.ca>
Subject:      Adding virtual serial holdings to local OPACs

As is the case at many academic libraries these days, Memorial University
of Newfoundland has had to cancel numerous journal subscriptions over the
past few years just to keep the materials budget fairly constant or, at
best, in line with inflation.  A simple methodology was used to determine
the cost-per-use for a number of serials thought to be costing us more
than their use could support.  This was described in a couple of articles
by Dorothy Milne and William Tiffany which appeared in _Serials review_ about
three years ago.  As you can probably predict, given the current rate
of serial price increases, this method will eventually reach a point where
uneconomic journals have all been cancelled and some new criteria must be
used to realize the savings needed to balance the budget.  We reached that
point this year and began looking at a new model where cancellations will
be made based on the availability of virtual resources from sources like
Uncover, Article First, and the Canadian Institute for Scientific and
Technical Information (CISTI).  To placate those patrons who use these
materials, we have agreed on a very fast document-delivery turnaround
for the 300 journals being cancelled this year, and are considering
making note of this in our OPAC records.

One of the things we have considered is the possibility of adding virtual
holdings to our OPAC, at least for the 300 titles we are cancelling this
year.  This could take the form of a note directing patrons to ILL for
further issues, or it could take the form of a holdings record pointing to
the external source of a title.  Politically, we are most interested in
providing access to cancelled issues no longer subscribed to, but our
faculty and students can already order Uncover articles directly through
our Gopher, and might want to know of other holdings there.  We are
already connecting tables of contents from _Current Contents_ to local
(and regional) holdings, so why not connect this and other reference
databases up to holdings at one of the commercial article services?

Have other libraries begun listing virtual resources in their OPACS, and
if so what is your model?  Are you treating the remote source as another
location?  Are you relying on Z39.50 or local gateways to identify outside
holdings through remote catalogues and if so how do patrons then get the
articles?  I know some of the commercial ILS have the ability to generate
requests for monographs found in searches at remote sites, but how about
for individual articles?  Have any of the commercial article providers
begun offering Z39.50 access to surrogate records of their holdings or to
tapes (Format for holdings and locations, possibly) which could be mounted
locally?  This latter would seem a natural for Articles First with their
proximity to the "World Catalog" or whatever euphemism they are applying
to the OCLC OLUC these days.  Has anyone used reference databases mounted
(or accessed) locally to point to holdings at Uncover or one of the other
article services?

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Charley Pennell                              cpennell@morgan.ucs.mun.ca
Head, Cataloguing Division                         phone: (709)737-7625
Queen Elizabeth II Library                           fax: (709)737-3118
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John's, Nfld.  A1B 3Y1  CANADA
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