Retrieval of Selected Serial Citations: An Analysis Through User Interviews

Abstract

Members of the Working Group on Serials Holdings at a mediumhe University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTI<) Library maintains a printed Serials Holdings List, published in book format, as the major public bibliographic access point to serial publications in the library. By using the Serials Holdings List (SHL), clientele can obtain the call number, holdings, format, and branch location for s. erial items in the collection. They are required to search separate locations within the facility for bound volumes, microfilm, and current issues. The process has been fraught with problems both in interpreting the SHL and understanding the arrangement of the collection.In 1987 the library reached a critical juncture regarding options for providing serials holdings information to library users. The pending move into a new central library facility, merging collections from the main and undergraduate libraries while continuing to maintain three branch libraries, would necessitate numerous changes in the holdings and location in the SHL. A hard copy would not be ready in time for fall quarter which started immediately following the move. In the new facility the card catalog was to have a less prominent location and the online catalog would become the access point for library holdings. However, call numbers and holdings for serials were not yet accessible to the public through the online system, and all indications were that this feature was not going to be ready soon.In addition, the annual book form of the SHL had become quite costly to produce. It had grown to 35,000 records, and in recent years the serials department staff had input an average of 3,000 changes and 1,000 new entries yearly, to produce the list at a cost of $15,000-$20,000. The SHL is also published quarterly in microfiche format at a rather low cost and distributed to other libraries in the region. However, onsite, the microfiche format is extremely unpopular with public service staff, student and faculty library users and constitutes a public relations dilemma. Given ·