Introduction to Serials Work for Library Technicians

Everything you need to know about serials librarianship—in one handy volume!

For library science students and library professionals, Introduction to Serials Work for Library Technicians is a practical, how-to-do-it text that shows you how to perform the behind-the-scenes tasks your job requires. This primer walks you through the entire process of serials management for both larger libraries with automated serials management systems as well as small school and public libraries that must handle their serials manually. From an introduction to serials work to the latest in technology for archiving, this book will ensure that your library customers are not inconvenienced by inaccuracies or inefficient organization.

Introduction to Serials Work for Library Technicians will benefit anyone who handles serials in a library since it covers all aspects of serials: acquisitions, organization, check-ins, and cataloging. This book addresses the complications that occur working with a form of publication that can include any medium from newspapers to CD-Rom and can be published as often as every day or as infrequently as once a year. Difficulties include title changes, serial merges and splits, suspensions and cessations of publication, and changes in format, and this volume will show you how to find the solutions to these situations.

Here’s a sample of what is explored in this book:

• acquisitions—how to locate, find bibliographic information on, and verify the title of a desired serial
• ordering—types of orders, new subscription orders, and back-ordering
• receiving—checking in serials, recording holdings information, using Kardex cards, and using an automated check-in system
• cataloging—using holding and union lists, creating and using online catalogues, and cataloguing standards and internet serials
• processing—shelving policies, types of shelving, and how to shelve
• claims, binding, and renewals

Intended primarily as a textbook for students in library sciences programs, this book will also serve very well as a general reference for experienced or novice library technicians or other staff members who find themselves managing serials or automating their system. The book's complete glossary, bibliography, numerous definitions, and tables, as well as the real-life examples throughout this manual will help you navigate the challenges of record-keeping, claiming, and cataloguing serials in any library.