ACQNET v4n056 (November 8, 1994) URL = http://www.infomotions.com/serials/acqnet/acqnet-v4n056 ISSN: 1057-5308 *************** ACQNET, Vol. 4, No. 56, November 8, 1994 ======================================== (1) FROM: Carol Hawks SUBJECT: _Library Acquisitions: Practice & Theory_ Volume 18, No. 4 Table of Contents (227 lines) _________________________________________________________________ From: Carol Hawks Subject: LAPT Volume 18, number 4 Date: Tue, 01 Nov 1994 10:47:02 -0500 _Library Acquisitions: Practice & Theory_ Contents Volume 18, Number 4 Pre-publication Information Issue Expected on 11-15-94 Editorial Reich, Vicky. A Future for Technical Services: White Paper. Special Section -- Outsourcing -- edited by Joyce Ogburn Ogburn, Joyce L. An Introduction to Outsourcing. Outsourcing as a business strategy is discussed in relation to library practices. While contracting out services is being touted as a solution to many management problems, some government operations are moving to reduce use of contractors. As with other business arrangements, preliminary steps before considering outsourcing, such as defining quality and the expectations of both parties, must be taken. Acquisitions and collection development librarians have extensive experience with managing contracts with vendors but also have to think in new terms and develop new relationships with vendor services expanding. Acquisitions librarians have many skills to offer in managing outsourcing arrangements, and general management and leadership abilities will still be necessary both for staff working within the library and the contract services. Winters, Barbara A. Catalog Outsourcing at Wright State University: Implications for Acquisitions Managers. In 1993, the administration of the Wright State University Libraries decided to outsource its cataloging operations to improve the quality and reduce the costs of cataloging. A number of alternatives were considered and rejected; outsourcing was deemed to be the most appropriate solution for WSU. The decision was influenced by the business management literature that advocates radical re-engineering of processes. Although some acquisitions processes have been performed for years by vendors, these processes should be re-examined and questioned, especially with the rise of electronic publishing. Increased outsourcing of acquisitions may be one answer. Even with outsourcing, acquisitions mangers will still be required, but they will need a broad set of skills and qualities to face the new electronic environment. These skills are outlined and discussed. Crismond, Linda F. Outsourcing from the A/V Vendor's Viewpoint: The Dynamics of a New Relationship. Audio/visual materials require a different set of processing models from those of print resources. Many aspects of A/V processing lend themselves to outsourcing, however, the number of potential contractors is still relatively small. A number of issues must be remembered when considering outsourcing, including understanding the library's actual internal costs for processing, establishing a partnership with the contractor, enforcing and supporting change in the organization, and fostering staff morale. Specific suggestions for how to work with the contractor are offered. Shirk, Gary M. Outsourced Library Technical Services: The Bookseller's Perspective. This paper looks at outsourcing library technical services primarily from the perspective of the relationship between outsourcing libraries and their suppliers. It first looks at why businesses outsource and how suppliers gain sufficient advantages to benefit those businesses. The author then extends these concepts to libraries and the booksellers who provide them with these services. Based upon business literature and practical experience, the author outlines some of the potential pitfalls in outsourcing arrangements and what can be done to minimize them. The author concludes with a call to temper enthusiasm for outsourcing in view of the sober realities of doing business in a complex, fast changing environment. Bush, Carmel C., Margo Sass, and Patricia Smith. Toward a New World Order: A Survey of Outsourcing Capabilities of Vendors for Acquisitions, Cataloging and Collection Development Services. A survey of selected library materials jobbers, cataloging agents, and library consortia shows that communication standards, vendor and library automation, and new partnerships among vendors and libraries are leading to greater opportunities for outsourcing acquisitions, cataloging, and collection development. Currently libraries can depend on vendors for pre-order searching, verification, and claiming functions as well as copy and original cataloging. Libraries can receive shelf-ready materials from jobbers or cataloging agents; those that collect mainstream materials have the most options; others must shop among vendors. Collection development is the function least changed by automation but materials jobbers are orienting more electronic services towards this area. Librarians should become full partners in the development of contract services. To do this, librarians must understand the evolving roles of the traditional partners and the costs and risks involved. ALA Annual 1994 -- ALCTS Automated Acquisitions Discussion Group -- Integrating Vendor Products/Services into the Automated Acquisitions Environment Bazirjian, Rosann. Integrating Vendor Products and Services: An Introduction. Granskog, Kay. PromptCat Testing at Michigan State University. Johnson, Marda. PromptCat Development at OCLC. Papers Ciliberti, Anne C. Collection Evaluation and Academic Review: A Pilot Study Using the OCLC/AMIGOS Collection Analysis CD. An academic library collection evaluation methodology conceived and planned within the broader context of assessment is described. Focusing on the evaluation of a library's collection of special education and counseling monographs, the pilot methodology calls for several collection-centered and client- centered evaluation techniques. The OCLC/AMIGOS Collection Analysis CD (CACD), selected as one collection-centered evaluation method, is described and its value as an evaluation tool for monographic holdings is discussed. Nisonger, Thomas E. A Methodological Issue Concerning Use of Social Sciences Citation Index Journal Citation Reports Impact Factor Data for Journal Ranking. Following a brief introduction of citation- based journal rankings as potential serials management tools, the most frequently used citation measure, "impact factor" is explained. This paper then demonstrates a methodological bias inherent in averaging Social Sciences Citation Index Journal Citation Reports (SSCI JCR) impact factor data from two or more consecutive years. A possible method for correcting the bias, termed "adjusted impact factor" is proposed. For illustration, a set of political science journals is ranked according to three different methods ("crude averaging," "weighted averaging," and "adjusted impact factor") for combining SSCI JCR impact factor data from successive years. Although the correlations among the three methods are quite high, one can observe noteworthy differences in the rankings that could impact on collection development decisions. Reports Cox, Brian. The United Kingdom Serials Group, 17th Annual Conference. Lee, Deborah. Oxford Conference for the Book. Review Section Cramer, Michael D. International Subscription Agents. Saxe, Minna C. Serials Management in Australia and New Zealand: Profile of Excellence. Davis, Susan. The Oxbridge Directory of Newsletters 1993. Park, Taemin Kim. If We Build It: Scholarly Communications and Networking Technologies: Proceedings of the North American Serials Interest Group, Inc. Nisonger, Thomas E. Directory of Electronic Journals, Newsletters and Academic Discussion Lists. Leonhardt, Thomas W. Impact of Technology on Resource Sharing: Experimentation and Maturity. Johnson, Judy L. Amalgamations & the Centralisation of Technical Services: Profit or Loss: Papers presented at a seminar held in Melbourne, November 13 1992. Announcements 1994 LAPT Research Award 1995 Research Award: Library Acquisitions: Practice & Theory ****** END OF FILE ****** ACQNET, Vol. 4, No. 56 ****** END OF FILE ******