Hi gang, so what do you think are this year's issues? Are there specific changes we should consider? What shall we do with the statistics? Shall we consider adding new titles this year or let things stay the same for another year? Keep in mind the materials budget is flat for 2009, but the cost of this collection will increase. If we don't consider dropping something, it'll have an impact on what we can do in other collections. Michael

I don't have a problem eliminating a few of the weakest circ-ing titles if we need to keep the budget flat. In terms of music publications we lost _No Depression_ but we will be adding _Paste_ which is very similar to CMJ New Music. I would be fine with ditching CMJ since we don't put it out as a new publication anyway. Its circs reflect a magazine people don't know we have since its not out on the display. _Paste_ targets a similar crowd (indie rock) with better quality reviews and a more diverse musical content represented.

In terms of non-music publications I would suggest taking those with the lowest (or no) circs and cross checking for those that we have access to via a database. If we do, and the publication leans toward one where the target audience is likely internet/database savvy then we cut it. For example, _Best's Review_ is a good example. There are no circs on record. It is available from 1993 - in EBSCO. The target audience is going to be generally search savvy or at least trainable. To provide duplicate access to a resource we have on record receives little use in a year where we need to be especially conservative in the budget seems wasteful. I am sure we can find a handful of others to keep the budget flat or possibly even decrease it a little - especially if other collections benefit from it. I would however consider exceptions where the title likely gets heavy use for its in-house, current issue and the audience many not have access to databases or seems unlikely to use them.

Anyone have other ideas? Colleen

I have had questions from people about the status of the bound periodicals/issues that we keep farther back. That was an issue last year we talked about discussing this year after we had the data Michael created. We have issues of Time, Life and something else... This is potentially a controversial topic but I may have a suggestion that would appeal to many.

What if we took these bound/back issues and created a basement storage area (there is stuff down there already, but the existing location description may not be appropriate). This would accomplish a few things -
1. we get to keep them
2. we have more space/flexibility in the periodical area
3. we preserve these resources as they are old and easily damaged.
4. we have them available for school visits (Diana generally knows the topics and would be able to pull the appropriate dates in advance of visits)
5. We can get them for patrons if needed or make copies of items on request.

Terry has mentioned that we may have to start using the basement as overflow storage anyway due to space constraints. This would be a potentially good test group to see how it would work.

Comments?

I'm thinking there are titles that we could consider dropping due to lack of circulation. Would everyone be amenable to reviewing a section of the collections to look for titles that aren't receiving much circulation (or no circulation!) and bringing those titles to this conversation? Michael

Sherry Harp said

at 11:50 am on Nov 7, 2008
Delete

Kathy Berholtz asked that if we were considering any new periodical titles for this year that we consider a magazine called total health. Can we get a copy to look at? Also I like Colleens idea about storing old life, Time etc. magazines down stairs.

Howdy, We actually already do have a list of about 15 titles that we identified a couple of years ago when we anticipated we would have to severely cut the periodical budget. Give me a little time to dig it out...I'm still a bit buried. And yes, these are things that we though had enough digital coverage, so we weren't losing things that we might have a use for. We were also running a bit scared about titles suddently disappearing from the online database, but that hasn't happened in bulk. Seems safer now...

The bound periodicals are a unique resource that you already know I feel very strongly belong in our collection. They are used as specific teaching tools, and for a wide variety of individual needs. We have had some experience now with the National Geographic, and have found that even though we can offer them on a CD, patrons generally do not want that. They want the actual physical thing to touch and look through. I think that's a valid reason to keep them. And I think Colleen's proposal of finding storage in the basement is a good possibility. Her points are all valid, and it if in the future we do have space, we can bring them back up. The biggest concern I have is that we make sure there is appropriate information on the shelf so patrons know these are available, they just have to ask. A single book dummy probably won't do it.

I also think we have made a clear change in the direction of this collection and we need to continue to add new and current titles. Especially as things get tighter in indiviual homes.

Hey, where did the peanut butter sandwich come from???

Karen, you can change the image via your personal settings. Click the Account link under your name (see the top right of this page). On the Profile page, the second section enables you to change the sandwich image to a generic male head, or to upload your own image or photo. If you want help see Colleen or me. Michael

Meg Shriver said

at 2:43 pm on Nov 11, 2008
Delete

I think it is a good idea to take parts of the collection and look at circs or noncircs and consider some titles for withdrawal. I will poll the reference staff at our meeting on Thursday about keeping the hardbound titles...Life, Time, etc.

If you follow the links from the main message, you'll be taken to websites where I've posted all of the circulation histories for all of the magazines in all three of the circulating collections. Please work from these lists. Would it help if I divied up the list, or would you folks like to select sections on your own?

Michael

Why don't you assign us letter ranges? Then we'll all know who is doing what. Also, if you can give us a deadline so we have a timeframe to work with that would be nice.

I just want to clarify who will be pulling the issues that will be withdrawn this fall? I want to be absolutely certain that I inherit all of the "local" publications to be sure we have complete runs of these. Things like Women, Marketplace, Hmong hello, Fox cities living, etc. (When it's time to pull them. I"m not suggesting they be pulled early or anything. I just don't want them to be tossed) Thanks!

Michael I am willing to review titles A-L to see which ones have not circulated very often. Also there have been concerns about the Taunten's Magazines. As of now Taunten's Fine Home building and Taunten's Threads are shelved under Taunten's and Taunten's Fine Woodworking and Taunten's Fine Gardening are Shelved under Fine. Everyone seems to agree that we would like to have them all one way or the other. Is this possible? I have also been asked to bring up the subject of the magnets with the years on them in the old magazine section. Do we really need these? They tend to fall off and into the bins and we are constantly replacing them.

I absolutely agree with Sherry that they should all be treated in the same way. Just as a bit of history here...there has been discussion of the Taunton's titles before. At that time, we went with the circ and ref feelings that patrons would not find them under "Taunton's..." Although that may still be the case, there has been a change made in the practice and as far as I know, we are now putting everything in "as the computer would". In other words, the REAL title, no matter what it looks like on the magazine. I think this means they should all be under Taunton's.... As long as we are careful to include added title entries so staff can find it, we should be good.

Hi Sherry, Thanks for taking the lead on reviewing the collection for titles that either aren't circulating or are hardly generating any circulations. Anyone else interested in reviewing M-Z? Or splitting it up? Say M-S and T-Z?

Kathy is reviewing the cataloging for the Tauton magazines to determine why their main entries are so different. We are shelving according to the proper title of the magazine as determined by the pubisher. That where the main entry comes from. As Karen notes there were titles in the past that were shelved according to where staff felt they should be shelved. If the publisher changes the name of the magazine, then from that point on their will be a new bib record in the catalog with references noting the title change, and the newly published issues will be shelved under the new title.

Michael,

How soon do you need us to do this by? I'll pick a letter range, but depending on your deadline, that will determine how much I can do.

Hi Colleen,

We've already turned in our renewals for 2009. Had to. That deadline has come and gone. At this point, if we cancel a subscription, we will get a credit which will be applied to a future purchase. Or we can analyze the data and use it to make decisions about the 2010 collection changes.

Hi Michael,

I have the information about the A-L magazines in the Children's, Young Adult, and Adult sections. I looked at all magazine that had a total circ. of less than 10 times. and made note if there were less than 20 copies to circulate. The information was to long to add as a comment so I will send to you via e-mail.

I did M-Z of ADULT only titles. Here's ones that circed less than 10 TOTAL times with relevant notes:

Marketplace (keep – LOCAL)
Mother Warriors Voice
Municipality (keep – WI)
Newsletter on intellectual freedom
No depression – this died. we didn’t have it long. Back issues can probably go too.


O-P-Q-R
Occupational Outlook Quarterly
Packer Plus (local?)
Paraplegia news
Paris Review
Poz
Publishers Weekly
Pulp and Paper
Rethinking Schools
Reunions
Ring

S-T
SB&F
Scene (keep – local)
Sheepshead review
Sing out
Society
SpeciaLiving Magazine
Teaching Tolerance

U-V-W-Y
Vital Speeches of the Day
Voices of Mexico
Western Builder (has 11 circs, but MANY copies)
Wisconsin Academy Review (keep – WI)
Worldwatch Report (only 2 issues?)
Yesteryear (zero circs; 46 copies?)

I want to start discussing the detailed work Sherry did. Let's start with this since these are low circ-ers and available online:

Five magazines that circulated less than 10 times I believe are available on line they are:
1. Americas 9 times
2. Best's Review 0 times
3. Congressional digest 0 times
4. Dollars & Sense 7 times
5. ENR 8 times

I am fine with getting rid of all of these. Who would like to discuss this?

Thanks.
Colleen

Colleen,

Thank you for starting the discussion. Working in Circ. I only see which magazines go in and out of the Library, I don't know which ones patrons use while visiting the Library. If these magazines are not circulating and they are available online I don't see the point of keeping them unless a lot of people are using them within the Library.

While looking at the information Collen found I noticed that 3 of her low circulating magazines where also routed than shelved.
I am not suggesting discontinuing these magazines if Library staff use them. But if we are trying to save space out on the floor and patrons are not interested in these titles couldn't we store back issues somewhere else?

These titles are:

1. Alan Review
2. Kliatt
3. Library Hotline
4. Newsletter on intellectual freedom
5. Publishers weekly
6. SB&F

Sherry
Library Hotline

I wouldn't have any problems getting ride of the titles Colleen suggests.

I would add that unless someone else is really using it we can stop getting Alan Review. Its routed to me, but I don't really use it. PW

Sherry said "While looking at the information Collen found I noticed that 3 of her low circulating magazines where also routed than shelved.
I am not suggesting discontinuing these magazines if Library staff use them. But if we are trying to save space out on the floor and patrons are not interested in these titles couldn't we store back issues somewhere else?"

I actually suggested that same thing last year in the first floor rearrangement. The backstory I was told is that they used to be shelved somewhere else and were condensed to one area. Does anyone remember the reason having them somewhere else was a problem? I think they used to be housed in Tech, right? I would also not mind having them elsewhere (perhaps basement storage?) but since I don't know problems we faced the last time this suggestion may not be as good as I think it is : )

Thanks.
Colleen

I spoke with MN yesterday about getting a few new YA titles to replace the one I lost this year, and the few I’ve lost previous years but didn’t get replacements.

I’ve asked for Teen Vogue, Electronic Gaming Monthly, and Faze for the YA collection.

I’ve also suggested we replace NewType (also lost this year), with Anime Insider and suggest we get Craft (from the same publishers of Make, and highly recommended by DS—the YA craft master!) I am suggesting these both as adult titles so it would really be more of a committee decision. PW

I think “Craft” would be a good one to put in the regular collection. It isn’t just something that teens would be interested in, and the adults won’t find it if it lives in the Teen area. I think we should also add the other titles she is suggesting. Fashion magazines will always be popular, and it’s probably not possible to have too many gaming ones either. I don’t know what Faze is, but it sounds like Paula does… I would think we have lost enough in ceased publications to allow for getting a few new ones. Should we be doing this on the wiki though so there is a record of new titles requested?



Karen

I like the idea of storing the titles that staff use, but are low circ-ing in the basement. I think that is a better opinion to free up needed space then moving Time and Life into the basement (something that is being debated in reference currently).

In a perfect world I would move the staff journals to basement storage, Life to reference, and keep Time where it is.  PW

I would like to second Paula's comment about moving Life to reference. I think I can make room for it. Leaving Time in the peridoical collection would also ensure its accessibility. If we moved the older staff magazines to the basement and stopped getting some titles would that make enough room to move the Westerns over?

I think I need to know WHY we are looking at dropping titles. If the main reason is actually to create a big enough space to move the westerns there, I will be much more ruthless about it. Dropping microfilm is not going to create space for Westerns. I remember when we cleared out the professional collection...the majority of it was newsletters that I believe were never touched once they hit those shelves. I don't see any reason to keep Library Hotline or Unabashed librarian for instance... I can see a reason for Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, and believe it or not there are other folks out there who use PW, LJ, and Booklist every once in a while. Only Tech can speak to keeping back issues of selection journals. I don't know how often they are actually used.

The children's services staff is recommending all of the periodical titles in children's services be kept for 3 years. Section staff would like to suggest Practical Homeschooling be moved from the adult periodical collection to the children's family collections area. With the section programming that is done for homeschoolers, it drew much excitement from homeschoolers when an issue was left in children's section on a day children's staff was doing programming. What does the committee think of the idea?

I don't have any problem with moving that title to the Children's collection. That makes a lot of sense to me. I actually wonder if we didn't intend it to be there in the first place since I think that's where the majority of the homeschooling parents are already.

On another issue, Kliatt is gone, or will be after the shift next week.

Has the Taunton's issue been resolved for Sherry? It will impact the shift for Mary and Linda next week...

Michael, Do you WANT to cancel titles now (for credit in the future) or are we really making a list to have ready for next fall when we do this again?

Moving _Practical Homeschooling_ to Children's sounds practical to me.

Good one Colleen! And so early in the morning too!