Date: Wed, 07 May 1997 14:15:32 -0600 (CST)
From: "Kathi L. Jakubowski" <klr@GML.LIB.UWM.EDU>
Subject: Circulating periodical issues to faculty - Summary of responses

Thank you to everyone who responded to my message of April 25.  I
received 32 responses, which I will attempt to summarize:

1.  Library does circulate periodicals:  11
     Most of the libraries that do circulate periodicals are either
smaller institutions or more specialized (law libraries, for
example).  Routing lists are commonly used, and usually only certain
journals are routed (newspapers and popular weeklies such as Time or
Newsweek are not circulated).  Time limits for circulation range from
24 hours to 6 months to no specified time limit.  One library  routes
current issues only to those faculty who have asked for the service
(only 6 or 7 out of a faculty of over 300).  They do not advertise
this service.  Another larger library has a list of over 100
titles that they send to faculty after check-in and before shelving
in current periodicals.  The process is called "two-week loan" and
check-in records are flagged so the issues can be set aside.  They
have a special borrowing period for the item records and each dept.
is assigned a pseudo-patron, so that everyone can see where the issue
is while it is out of the library.  They also don't honor requests
for more popular, heavily used titles.  They have had a few problems,
but it hasn't been too bad.

2.  Library used to circulate periodicals, but doesn't anymore, or
plans to stop soon:  4
     One library did away with routing several years ago.  They
recommend that faculty use CARL REVEAL Uncover for Table of Contents
information and to request copies of articles they need.  Another
library has circulated periodicals to both students and faculty for
several years, but plans to stop all circulation in the near future.
They posed 2 questions:
    A.  If your stated purpose is to support
student research/student need, why are you giving faculty special
privileges by allowing them to "see" journals first?
    B.  What assurances do you have that faculty will return
periodicals within a stated period?  If there are no policies in
place to block faculty privileges, and there is no punishment
involved, how can you know you will get your materials back?

A third library stated that they have learned - the hard way - that
circulating, even to faculty, is a sure-fire way to:
1) antagonize users: who want to see the latest issues
2) aggravate faculty: who frequently "forget" they took out an issue
and so now keep getting dunning notices (which many ignore)
3) waste staff time: who must track down, then cajole a faculty
member to return the issue when needed for binding.

A fouth library recently ended the practice stating: The few
departments we had sent them to were very bad about getting them
back in a timely matter and in some cases not at all.

3.   Library doesn't circulate periodicals, but does route Table of
Contents pages: 5
      One library sends professors the contents page of up to 5
journals.  They can circle any article they want to read, send the
page back to periodicals, where the article is copied and sent to the
professors.

4.  Library has never circulated periodicals to faculty:  8
     Many of the respondents felt very strongly that this was a bad
idea.  There was concern about ever seeing the periodical issue
again, what condition it might be in, how much staff time would be
involved, loss of access for other users, etc.

5.  Library doesn't circulate periodicals, and offers suggestions: 4
     Get faculty on some type of online abstracting service (CARL
Uncover Reveal).
     Route Table of Contents to faculty

I don't know yet what the outcome will be at our Library, but I will
notify the list when the information is available.

Thank you again for all your ideas and input!