ABSTRACT
The increase in the number of serial publications, the growth of holdings in libraries, and the maturation of librarianship are seen as largely responsible for the development of a specialty in serials librarianship by the time of the American Library Association’s centennial celebration in 1976. This development often resulted in the organization of a separate serials department. In the decade following the ALA centennial several trends (e.g., economic stringency and automation) have converged to cause a re-evaluation of organizational patterns. In particular, the form versus function debate regarding serials organization is examined by reviewing professional activities and the published literature.
