Serials Committee Meeting

* The Exchange of Duplicates Chair, Bonnie Geldmacher, reported that her survey of members resulted because of three problem areas: 1.) the authority list; 2.) shipping and handling; and 3.) registration cost. Many survey participants wanted a more comprehensive authority list and Bonnie was surveying members to find how to augment the list. Regarding shipping and handling, a need for a more clearly stated policy on the registration form may help. As to the registration cost, the $30 fee is set by the TS-SIS Executive Board and the Board is responsible for any changes. Bonnie welcomes any new ideas and suggestions. Some Serial Committee members questioned the need for Exchange of Duplicates when the N&O list is more current and has no registration fee.

* Jim Mumm responded to the request for a Serials columnist in TSLL by volunteering to write one column at some time during the year. No one else responded to the reported request by Brian Striman for a TSLL columnist. Please contact Brian if you are interested.

* New Serials Committee Chair, Carol Avery Nicholson was introduced. Carol asked how to determine who the members of the committee are. Out going Serials Committee Chair, Frank Richardson will note on the emailed minutes of the meeting a question whether recipients want to be included in future mailings. The responses will go the Carol and will help establish committee membership.

* Committee liaisons may need to be reestablished with NISO and NASIG. Please contact Carol if you are interested. Frank can assist with NASIG.

* Carol initiated a discussion regarding ABA and statistics. It is still unclear how to count and report serials and the definitions need to be clarified. Carol and Lorna Tang are involved with ALL-SIS which is addressing this issue. Alan Keely, Paula Tejeda, and Jim Mumm volunteered to assist. Paula Tejeda suggested we contact Joe Hinger and Norma Feld because they did a program on this previously. It was suggested that a Serials Committee could be started to help with this issue. Judith Wright reported from the Directors Meeting that there is a question about how committed the directors are to this issue. They want a solution that requires little work and has easily met measurements. This viewpoint is shaped by a current environment of shrinking library budgets and the growing marginality of law libraries. The US News rankings did not emphasize library holdings. The Library Committee’s desire to have this problem dealt with by the by the Questionnaire Committee was rejected by the Deans because the tension around this issue was not worth it during this time of the ongoing shifting of revenue from the library. Additional discussion about ILS tools for counting noted that some have statistics modules. ProjectCounter.org is another counting device that can be utilized. Questions arose about how to determine which ILS are in use at law libraries, and which ILS are shared with University Libraries (answer is 80%). It was suggested that AALL have a Statistics Committee similar in importance as the Vendor Relations Committee. A committee like this existed in the 1970’s. Any measurements committee should have a fully, representative composition.

* The 2005 AALL Annual Meeting had two programs that originated in the Serials Committee. Easy Does It: EDI Made Simple was a forum discussion on Sunday and was sponsored by the TS-SIS committee. The other program was panel discussion coordinated by Keiko Okuhara on Tuesday, Electronic Serials Management. It was also supported by TS-SIS. Thanks to Yael Mandelstam for providing the signage for the TS-SIS programs.

* The Education Committee this year is supporting six programs that will be submitted to AMPC. Two additional workshops will also be submitted. One program will be sponsored by TS-SIS. The six programs are: 1) Conversations across the Cubicle/ a conversation with Jim Mumm, Patty Satzer about TS-SIS changes since 1978; 2.) Models for storage-offsite repositories; 3.) TS Workflow/reorganization and improvements; 4.) K Tables/foreign law; 5.) Pioneering new cataloging duties in the digital age; and 6.) RDA/AACR3 update. The two workshops will be: Electronic Serials Cataloging and Basic Serials Cataloging. The TS-SIS sponsored program will be the 2005 Preservations Survey results Implementation Plan. Discussion centered on another possible program or workshop on Basic Acquisitions. Other ideas were about a new cataloger’s roundtable that would provide a comfortable environment to ask questions. Also suggested was a new TS roundtable for similar reasons. The submission deadline for 2006 ideas is August 8 to AMPC.