ABSTRACT
In this three part presentation, the foundations of serials work were discussed. “A Day in the Life of a Serials Manager,” presented by Susan Davis, Head, Periodicals, SUNY Buffalo, gave an overview of serials work and the basic precepts behind it. Davis covered such topics as definitions of “serial” and publishing permutations such as title changes, splits, and renumbering. She discussed the need for and kinds of record-keeping, and stated it is important to evaluate the value of information kept vs. the cost of keeping it. The first step in record-keeping is to identify the name or title of a serial and keep track of the specific issues received, in order to ensure you are receiving what you paid for and to provide holdings information to patrons about what is owned by the library. Accurate record-keeping enables a library to know when to claim, to track costs, and to keep current with procedures for binding and routing.
