---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 10:25:05 -0500
From: kathleen <kathleen@sjsuvm1.sjsu.edu>
Subject: Re: Serials Shelving Schemes (Peter Washkevich)

We have had our periodicals shelved in LC call number order since about
1980, and it really does work.  For faculty and students, it's nice
because it's so much easier to browse within one's own subject without
having to wander around all over the floor from the beginning of the
alphabet to the end.  Even if they don't know the exact call number,
they can find it because there is a narrower space or range -- and when
a title changes, the journal stays right where it is, just where they
have found it for the past year or years....

As for shelving, it's so much easier to shelve by call number than to
have to sometimes second-guess whether to shelve by acronym or full
title or is it that weird little "subtitle" that actually is above the
title, or is it by spine title, cover title, or title page title.......

It's also easier to estimate how much space to leave for growth: if you
have a dynamic department that is ordering lots of new titles, you can
leave plenty of space; while call number areas that keep chugging along
without much change require much less "extra" space.

As for getting patrons used to the change: when they find out that most
of the materials in a certain subject will be in the same vicinity, and
that the title change = location change hassle is gone, they'll probably
ask why you didn't do it sooner!

Kathleen Thorne
(who has seen it both ways)
--
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Kathleen Thorne
Serials Cataloger                                       Creator of the world, keep me sane
San Jose State University                               Keep my sense and my wisdom
San Jose, CA 95192-0028                                 until you come for me.
ph: (408) 924-2826   fax: (408) 924-2701
email:  kathleen@email.sjsu.edu
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