[Response to a previous colldv-l posting. The original post
is below and is followed by the response.]
From: Beth Jacoby <bjacoby_at_hshsl.umaryland.edu>
We currently gather journal usage statistics for
our print collection manually by counting tally
marks which staff make when re-shelving both
bound and unbound journals. We do this four
times a year during a 2-week period each time.
The data collected is very useful for making
cancellation decisions, but as this is very labor
intensive, we are hoping to automate the process.
We would like to hear from any libraries that
have automated this process. We are
particularly interested in knowing:
How do you do it? (Using barcodes? scanners?
Etc.)
Do you do this for bound journals? Unbound
journals? Both?
How many times a year do you do it?
Do you collect data for each title for each
year, or by spans of years (e.g. 1980-1990)?
If so, which spans of years do you use, and
why?
What equipment and software do you use?
What are the pros and cons of your automated
method?
If you prefer to discuss this over the phone,
please contact Dale Prince, Circulation Librarian
at 410-706-7995.
Beth Jacoby
Head of Acquisitions/Serials
Health Sciences and Human Services Library
University of Maryland
601 W. Lombard St.
Baltimore, MD 21201-1512
Phone: 410-706-8856
Fax: 410-706-8860
======Response========
From: Bill Sees <cd000019_at_mindspring.com>
Hi Beth,
Our libary's periodical collection is housed in a
closed stack environment, and we enter daily usage
statistics for each journal title. The data is input
into an Access 97 database, and includes date used, year
of journal, volume and issue numbers when available,
format, and patron status. Data entry has been
incorporated into the daily workflow, and it usually
takes a student employee an hour to enter the data.
The database has proven invaluable for collection
management. It also makes it possible to identify other
trends in the library. For instance, once full text
journal indexes became available, journal usage fell
40%.
You may contact me directly if you would like more
details about the database which could be modified to
work with Barcode Anything software.
Bill Sees
LIU
Brooklyn Campus Library
billsees_at_mindspring.com
Received on Tue May 23 2000 - 13:13:24 EDT