Page 202 - DLIS007_LIBRARY AUTOMATION

Unit 10: Library Automation in Periodicals Section

10.4.1 Definitions Notes

Serials
Any publication issued in successive parts that appear at intervals of time but not necessarily
regularly. Conference proceedings and periodicals are examples.

Periodicals

Materials published at a regular period of time – magazines, journals and newspapers. Periodicals
are one type of serials.
Periodical Holdings List or Serials List

A list of publications owned by a library, arranged alphabetically by title. The years held by the
library and the location is also shown.

Microform

Printed material that has been photographically reduced onto film. They must be read on
special machines. Microfilm comes in rolls.

Microfiche is produced on flat four by six inch film. Microform is used to preserve information
from decay and to save storage space.

10.4.2 Finding Journals, Magazines & Newspapers

At North Seattle Community College Library, the Periodicals Holdings List shows all periodical
titles we own, their locations, and the dates we have. This list is arranged alphabetically, and a
separate subject guide helps identify periodicals by broad subject focus. Separate lists for the
holdings of Central and South campuses are included in the same binder. It is also possible to
search the Voyager Library Catalogue for periodical titles.

Periodical directories such as Ulrichs International Periodical Directory make it possible to find the
names of periodicals dealing with a field or with a geographical area. Ask for help at the
reference desk. Once a title is identified, use the holdings list or the library catalogue to determine
whether it is available. Choose author/title/subject search, and select “periodical title” before
searching. Other libraries’ catalogues, such as University of Washington and local public libraries
are also options.
Most researchers, however, need a list of articles about their subject. Library catalogues and
directories such as Ulrichs are helpful in identifying specific periodical titles, but they do not
help identify individual articles.
10.4.3 Finding Articles with Periodical Indexes

To find information inside a book, you would look at the book’s index. Searching individual
periodicals for the information you need would be impractical, and most periodicals don’t have
a single index to help you find information. To help researchers find periodical information,
there are companies that produce indexes to periodical literature. These indexes typically cover
many different periodical publications. Some indexes are general in nature, while others focus
on a particular discipline or area of study.

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