----------(1)
>From jfrank@ISL.STATE.ID.US Thu Aug  5 15:26:55 1999
Date: Thu, 5 Aug 1999 10:09:16 -0600
From: Julia Franklin <jfrank@ISL.STATE.ID.US>
Subject: Re: Periodicals Usage Survey (Dani Lichtenberg)

I certainly hope you are not going to try and archive any of the
periodicals you are"taping or stapling magazines shut and seeing if anyone
"unfastens" them."  especially after patrons get through ripping them open
to look at an article.  AAAACCCKKKKK!!!!!

Tell me it isn't so.

The method of encouraging patrons not to shelve, and counting what is left
out to shelve, sounds like a much better, less destructive method, then
taping and stapling issues.

Julia Franklin
Serials LAI
Idaho State Library
jfrank@isl.state.id.us
The opinions are my own, and not the opinions
of anyone, anywhere, else...in the world.

----------(2)
>From Jody.Newton@FEMA.GOV Thu Aug  5 15:26:55 1999
Date: Thu, 5 Aug 1999 14:03:23 -0400
From: "Newton, Jody" <Jody.Newton@FEMA.GOV>
Subject: Re: Periodicals usage survey

We keep all our unbound periodicals (mainly the current year issues) in a
separate room that only staff our staff has access to.  Therefore, we know
which titles we have to run for the most.  After they are bound, they go
out on the shelves and students have access to them.

This may not be....well, possible for many places because of space
restrictions, but it works well for us.

Jody Newton
Serials Technician
National Emergency Training Center Library
jody.newton@fema.gov

----------(3)
>From lgrosch@ITPLD.LIB.IL.US Thu Aug  5 15:26:55 1999
Date: Thu, 5 Aug 1999 13:27:17 -0500
From: "Grosch, Linda" <lgrosch@ITPLD.LIB.IL.US>
Subject: Re: Periodicals Usage Survey (Dani Lichtenberg)

I am at a medium size library in Wheeling, Illinois.  We have open stacks
in both Adult Services and Youth Services.  In order to check out
periodicals, one must fill out a green periodical check out card.  These
cards list the tile and date of the four magazines you are allowed.  The
magazines get put in a plastic bag which has a barcode on it so we can at
least track who had what last.  Every morning I collect these cards from
Circ. and do the slash marks on index cards for each title.  Monday's are
the worst because I have three days of cards to do.  This takes about a
half hour to 45 min. a day.  I would love to hear of another way to do
this job.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 5 Aug 1999 11:42:56 -0400
From: Dani Lichtenberg <p005386b@PB.SEFLIN.ORG>
Subject: Periodicals Usage Survey

I have a question regarding tracking periodicals usage.  In a public
library with open stacks, how are other libraries tracking how often
titles are used?  Encouraging patrons to not reshelve materials, and then
keeping track of which ones are reshelved by library staff is one way to
track usage.  Another way is to conduct some kind of survey, requesting
patron comments on which titles they consider useful and which they don't
find useful.  I seem to remember other techniques mentioned while I was
in library school, such as taping or stapling magazines shut and seeing
if anyone "unfastens" them.  What other methods are being used for this
purpose?

Dani Lichtenberg
Serials Supervisor
Palm Beach County Library System
p005386b@pb.seflin.org