Date: Thu, 19 Mar 1998 10:26:53 -0500
From: Sharon Bingham <sbingham@ALLEG.EDU>
Subject: Re: Public Library Periodical Questions (Anne Ross)

Anne:

We are an academic library. Our main library covers 3/4 of a block,
and is 4 storeys high.

The first floor houses 2 computer classrooms, 2 computer labs (1 with
exterior access), the AV Department, 2 studies rooms, government
documents, oversize folios, the 300s, and a Closed Stacks room (which
holds most unbound periodicals, and some goverment documents; no
patron access).

The second (main) floor houses the Reference Department, the
Circulation Department, Course and General Reserve collections
(includes loose issues of periodicals which are eventually replaced
by microform and is monitored by Circulation Dept.), McNaughton
Books, Microform Area, Juvenile collection, the 000s-200s and the
400s-700s, Display Shelves (for the last 2 issues onlys);
Acquistitions, Cataloging, and Periodicals Departments (check-in,
repair, prepare for bindery, and order) are also housed here with no
public access in these 3 areas.

The third floor houses the 800s-900s, bound journals, Special
Collections (access by appointment), Methodist Collection (no public
access), a group study room, and a lounge.

The fourth floor houses our air conditioning system, etc.

All Departments have computer access.  There are 4 OCLC terminals (2
in Reference, 1 in Cataloging, 1 for Aquisitions and Periodicals).
There are 8 terminals for access to our online catalog, plus access
available from any of the network terminals spread throughout campus.
There is an area on the Main Floor with 4 computers for access to
online periodicals, and another area with 4 computers with CD-rom
databases.  We have found that most patrons prefer online access
rather than the CD-rom databases.

There are 2 photocopiers located near, and monitored by, Circulation.
We have 2 microfilm readers, 1 microfiche reader, and 1 microcard
reader located near the Microform Area, and 1 microfilm/fiche printer
with limited access in the Cataloging Department.

The computers for online access and the ones for CD-rom access are
interspersed with the Microform Area and the microform readers, which
are near Reference, but not all arevisible to Reference.  However,
since the Reference Librarians are mobile, they are constantly in
these areas.

There is one person in the Periodicals Department -- me.

Our periodicals are not catalogged and are shelved alphabetically
in their own areas.

When we shift bound periodicals from a supplemental library and
integrate them with our holdings we number the boxes as we pack them.
They were packed from Z to A, starting with the last volume.  When
they arrive we unpack them starting with the highest box number
(these are the A's) and place them on the shelves.  Don't forget to
leave room for expansion.  Periodicals here were shifted to
accommodate those coming over.  Because integrating was such a
hassle, the last time we shifted we gave them their own area.  We
shift about every 10 years, when the supplemental library fills to
capacity.

Sherree