Page 221 - DLIS003_LIBRARY ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT

Library Administration and Management

Notes 3. The intention may be to continue the publication of the volumes for ever, though not
actually be carried out.
4. The intention may be to continue the same title in all the volumes, though this may not
actually be carried out.
On the other hand, ISO Standard 3297 defines a serial as “a publication in printed form or not
issued in successive parts usually having numerical or chronological designations and intended
to be continued indefinitely” Thus, the term serial encompasses an extremely wide range of
material including journals/periodicals, newsletters, newspapers, technical and research
reports, yearbooks and annuals, and national and international government publications.
In modem times, it is necessary for the collection manager or librarian to be prepared to deal
with periodical/serial literature published in a variety of physical formats in addition to the
traditional print on paper. For example, microfilm and microfiche have, for many years, been
popular serial formats. An important development in recent years is the increasing number of
periodicals/serials available in electronic formats, either as full text on-line databases or on
CD-ROM. CD-ROM is a particularly useful format for indexing and abstracting services, and the
number of indexing and abstracting journals on CD-ROM is increasing.

Whatever may be the format, the activities of the Periodicals Department include those pertaining
to selection, ordering and receipt of periodicals/serials. To be efficient and effective, the
Periodicals Department has to function in close cooperation with other departments, especially
the Reference and Documentation departments which are directly concerned with the In this
context, the following set of objectives for a periodicals/serials department would be useful to:
Ensure that the periodicals/serials collection is, and remains, relevant to the needs of the
user community.

Ensure prompt and uninterrupted receipt of issues by careful budgeting, regular updating
and maintenance through financial control systems, timely payment of invoices, claiming
parts not received and close liaison with suppliers.
Conserve and preserve material by binding and other conservation procedures.
Facilitate access to up-to-date information about the range, scope and location of material
within the collection, etc.

Did u know? Core titles such as Biological abstracts, Index medics, Science Citation Index,
ERIC databases are widely available, sometimes from several different publishes.

Notes A periodical is defined as a publication issued in successive parts usually at regular
intervals and as a rule intended to be continued indefinitely.
Self Assessment

Fill in the blanks:
1. …………….. are publications which are issued at regular intervals, such as journals,
magazines, and newspapers.
2. …………….. is a particularly useful format for indexing and abstracting services.

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