Selection & Acquisition
of Serials materials –
Print & Electronic
LIS 327 – DOCUMENTS, SERIALS, NON-
BOOKS, & ELECTRONIC MATERIALS
Report by: Allana Delgado BLIS-3
Jan. 10, 2013

Traditional Print Review Sources
E-review sources
Faculty/Student input
I. Selection of new titles

Selection of new serial titles
 Choice
 Library Journal
 Magazines for
Libraries
 Serials review
 Ulrich
 Ebsco
 Gale
 Internet & print
catalogs offer
imporant info about
serials.
Print review sources Periodical Directories
Publisher’s Catalogs

Selection of new serial titles
You will likely find
about the content,
layout, & focus, quickly
from the internet. Many
blogs and websites
provide reviews.
 BookVerdict
 Magazines for Libraries
 Ulrichsweb
Consider
recommendations of
users, staff, the public,
or other libraries.
Libraries usually
provide forms where
people can place
suggest titles.
E-Review Sources Faculty/Student input

E-review sources

•Role of Vendors and Subscription Agents
•Evaluation and Selection of Vendors
•Consortia Purchases
•Access vs. Ownership
•Vendors vs. Order Direct
•Other means of acquiring Serials
•Bundled subscriptions
•Open Access
II. Acquisition Process

Vendors & Subscription agents
Basic functions of subscription management :
1. Accurate and prompt placement of new orders
2. Speedy and vigorous attention to claims and
adjustments
3. Timely renewal of expiring subscriptions
4. Reduce the expenditure of library resources
on the subscription placement, renewal, and
fulfilment.

Evaluating & Selecting Vendors
Method for selecting:
-Professional references
-Vendor visit to library
-Library staff or admin
visit the vendor site
-Conference presentation
-Mandate from a
procurement
Considerations:
-Pricing & Shipping
-Physical processing and
other costs
-E-content licensing &
registration
-Approval Plan
-Return & Cancel Policy
-Invoicing & pay terms
-Level of customer service

Evaluating & Selecting Vendors
Questions to keep in mind when choosing:
 What am I trying to acquire?
 What value will this vendor add to the acquisitions
process?
 Are there other vendors offering same service?
 Does this vendor deal primarily with the library
community?
 What experiences have my colleagues had with
this vendor?
 What are my service expectations? Have I
communicated these to the vendor and was
assured they will be met?

Consortia Purchases
Resource sharing among libraries is a big help to
acquire resources a single library cannot afford on
their own.
Objectives of consortia-based purchase:
 Libraries can solve the ongoing Serials crisis and to
share the resources among libraries.
 Libraries can provide better information service
regarding the various serials available through
consortium.
 Offers a single library the opportunity to get access to
more journals than they currently have subscriptions
to.
 Offers reduced costs in the inter-institutional
document delivery processes for specific journals.

Access vs. Ownership
(including Document Delivery)
Other means of accessing information
without owning the materials:
 Inter-library loan (access to articles, tables of
contents, research alerts), document delivery,
computer databases at remote sites, and
materials such as CD-ROMs whose ownership
is shared.

Access vs. Ownership
 Emphasis on use of
traditional print collections
stored locally and
physically browsable.
 Value is attributed to the
size of the collection.
 “Just in case” approach
to collection development,
based upon the goal of
physical acquisition of
resources.
 Emphasis on access to
resources that are networked
and accessed electronically.
 Value is on the availability of
the collection and
deliverability of information.
 “Just in time” approach to
collection management,
based upon high reliance on
expedited document delivery.
Ownership-based
(Library as storehouse)
Access-based (Library
as gateway)

Access vs. Ownership
 A "collection" refers to
what the library owns
physically
 Records in the catalog
referred to all items in the
collection.
 If a print subscription is
cancelled, the library
retains ownership.
 Libraries purchase,
archive, & preserve.
 license access to remote
electronic collections.
 Catalog contains records
with interactive URLs.
 If a subscription is
cancelled, the library does
not retain access.
 Libraries must look to
publishers to provide this
service for digital
collections.
COLLECTION “PAST” “PRESENT”

Access vs. Ownership
"In this rapidly changing age of technology, the
traditional view of libraries as warehouses of
information is being challenged by the more
modern view of them as providers of access to
information.”
Some librarians suggest that libraries cannot
devote solely on access or ownership, but there
must be a balance in both. It is recommended
that the library should own items frequently
used, and buy access for materials with low to
medium demand.

Vendors vs. Order direct
Order direct from the Publisher:
Some publishers prefer to deal with client
libraries than agents. One can order by phone,
mail, online, or the library’s form letter to the
publisher for orders.
Order from vendors & agents:
They are intermediaries between library and
publisher. They handle all aspects of securing
serials for he library: order, delivery, claims,
renewals, etc. They earn through service fees.

Order Direct
 There is no service fee
(other than subscription
cost).
 Cancellations are easier.
You can control when
the cancellation takes
effect.
 Some publishers deal
with you directly. Many
small publishers will
not deal with agents.
 Time-consuming.
 Many publishers ignore
the individual client.
 You deal with one or
more persons at each
publisher. It is often
more difficult to solve
problems when dealing
directly with the
publisher.
Advantages Disadvantages

Ordering through agent
 Agents bill you only once
or twice a year.
 Publishers tend to listen
more closely to an agent
than an individual.
 They look after claims,
renewals, and billing.
 You deal with only one
person. If problem
occurs, you can direct
your concerns to one
individual.
 You must pay a fee for this
service.
 It is more difficult to cancel
an order.
 Some publishers,
especially small ones, will
not deal with an agent.
 Service levels may vary;
the type of service you
receive depends upon the
agent’s representative.
Advantages Disadvantages

Other means of acquisition
 Gifts
 Exchanges
 Donations
 Memberships

Bundled subscriptions
Publishers offer libraries bundled print and electronic
journal subscriptions (called a “Big Deal”).
The library entering into a multi-year arrangement to
access a database of journals at a discount.
2 common formats of print/electronic
bundles:
1. The library agrees to keep its existing base of print
subscriptions and pays a surcharge for access to an
electronic database.
2. Under the “electronic-bundled-with-print” scenario,
the bulk of payments are for electronic access, and
are required to buy cheap print journals.

Bundled Subscriptions
Advantages:
 Collections expand as users have extra access
to journals not included in the libraries’ print
subscriptions.
 Prices can be negotiated by a library or group
of libraries
 It brings efficiency in technical processing,
collection development, and promoting use of
electronic resources

Bundled Subscriptions
Disadvantages:
 Libraries cannot have significant savings from
cancelling a title and it is difficult to purchase
journals from other sources
 It has been criticized as offering short-term benefits
in the expense of the scholarly community. After a
contract expires, users may not have access.
 It has the risk of weakening the collection with
journals we may not need or want. It bundles the
strongest with the weakest titles.
 It has the risk of increasing our dependence on
publishers who have already shown their
determination to monopolize the information
marketplace.

Open Access (OA)
OA is a growing movement to make public-
funded research online, free of charge. It is free
to be downloaded and used as long as the author
is cited. It is an alternative for spreading and
accessing scientific publications. It began in
2001.
Popular Open Access resources on the
web:
 DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals
 PLoS: Public Library of Science
 ERIC: Education Resources Information Center

•Ordering information
•Claiming new orders
•Invoices and payments processing
III. Acquisition Functions

Ordering Information
Orders must contain the
following:
1. Correct Title
2. ISSN
3. Price or Estimated
Price
4. Place and Publisher
5. Purchase Order
Number
6. Date of Order
7. Your Library’s Shipping
& Billing Address
8. Supplier’s Address
9. Account Number
10. “Order to Start” date
11. Edition Wanted
12. Format Required
13. Number of Copies
Required
14. The Requester’s
Name or Initials
(Optional)
15. Special Instructions

Claiming new orders
A claim is a notification to the supplier of a serial that
there is a problem. It should be sent 4-6 weeks after
the date when the serial was expected to arrive.
Timing of sending claims:
Weekly - after 1 month then at monthly intervals
Monthly - after 2 montha then at 2-monthly intervals
Quarterly - after 4 months then at 4-monthly intervals
Annual, semi-annual, biennial, irregular – after 6
months then 6-monthly intervals.

Invoices and payments processing
An invoice is a request for payment. It is good
practice to settle accounts promptly. Usually,
payments are made by a central accounts department.
2 files are required to control invoices: Supplier's and
Invoice files.
Processing Invoices:
1. Record receipt of an invoice in the supplier’s record.
2.Check the invoice against serials receipt file.
3.As each title is approved, enter on its receipt record
against the volume renewed the invoice number price,
and date. When all items on the invoice has been
accounted for, pass the invoice for payment.

•Receipt and distribution of incoming
materials
•Missing and replacement issues: claiming
and back issue dealers
•Bindery control: commercial binders and
binding incomplete
IV. Processing Functions

Receipt and distribution of
materials
Procedures
 Opening and sorting
mail
 Preliminary
examination
 Recording
continuations
 New titles
 Changes of Title
 Untraced items
 Duplicates
 Special Actions
 Claims

Receipt and distribution of
materials
Once received, examine each issue carefully. If the issue
is complete and in good condition, begin processing.
1. Stamp the serial to indicate it belongs to the library.
White stick labels are used for glossy covers which
can’t hold ink.
2. Stamp the date of receipt on the issue itself. This lets
users and staff know when it was received and predict
when it will arrive next.
3. Apply a security label if appropriate.
4. Follow any special instruction noted in the check in.
(Ex.: Photocopy and deliver, or route to a branch).
5. Make a note for follow-up if it is time to weed or bind
the serial.
6. Shelve the issues.

Receipt and distribution of
materials
Kardex: Popular manual check-in method for serials.
Card formats differ by frequency.

Missing and replacement issues
Records must be reviewed before claims, as
unnecessary claims are expensive.
Back Issues:
The best means of acquiring backsets are in the
microfilm format.
This order is basically the same as a new order,
but you must ensure the correct title and ISSN
of issues you need. State clearly if you only
need certain volumes/issues.

Bindery control
Binding is an integral part of serials work.
 It preserves serials, as loose copies tend to be
damaged and a bound volume is sturdier.
 Shelving and locating issues is easier.
Some libraries do not bind serials, and instead
have a contract with a commercial binder.
Binding Incomplete: In some cases, you may
want to bind frequently even with incomplete
issues, based on issue frequency and size. 2" - 3"
is the optimum width.

Bindery control
Kinds of Binding:
 Class A Binding
 Monoetching
 Econobinding
 Econo-plus binding

•Catalog records
•Holdings records / In-house serials lists
•Union lists
•OPAC Display
V. Access Management

•Organization of paper formats
•Organization of non-paper formats
VI. Storage & Public Use

Organization of paper formats
Integrated with other collections: Interfiled
periodicals and monographs. This allows the user to
find related materials in one area.
Shelved in a Separate Serials section:
Having a separate section allows more control over
periodicals.
2 basic approaches in shelf organization:
1. Arranged in alphabetical order by title
2. Group by subject first and shelved by title
The users must know where current issues are, and
they also need to know what to do if they want to
access earlier issues.

Organization of non-paper formats
Storage conditions for audiovisual and multimedia
sources require special attention. Dirt, dust,
polluted air, excess or changing temperature and
humidity can cause damage.
Equipment for use
 Fiche and film need readers, storage, and printers.
 Discs require storage, computers, and printers and
some are only compatible in certain systems.
 Videotape required video equipment.
 Online journals need computers with internet
connection.

Steps in renewing & cancelling
subscriptions
VII. Renewals & Cancellations

Renewals
By an Agent: It is them who handle all renewals.
Any concerns should be forwarded to the agent.
 The Serials should keep careful documentation and
record keeping.
 They send renewal lists for your review.
Direct Renewals: An advantage of direct to
publisher renewal is the library can start or stop
anytime.
 If the library receives serials from different
suppliers, an accurate record about the publishers
and all communication relating to each serial must
be maintained.

Cancellations
A cancellation is a notification that the library
will no longer be receiving a serial.
Reasons:
 Cost and budgetary constraints
 No longer appropriate for the collection
 Poor service
 You may now be receiving the serials through
other means
 Available in different format

Steps in Cancellation
1. Notify supplier.
2. Notify the financial services department or
whoever pays for the serials.
3. Notify reference staff.
4. Note this information in any records such as the
kardex or computerized check-in.
5. Keep the copy of any correspondence with the
supplier. Later, you will need this to refer to
when the serial is still being received.
6. Clean up any other records such as union lists
that need to be changed.

END. GOODNIGHT. BYE.