NASIG Newsletter

2006 HORIZON AWARD RECIPIENT ESSAY
JENNIFER ARNOLD 

Mile High Views: Surveying the Serials Vista
The 2006 NASIG Conference Theme 

What does it mean to survey the serials vista?  From my perspective, the 2006 NASIG conference theme, “Mile High Views: Surveying the Serials Vista,” serves as a reminder of the value of pausing to consider the big picture.  In my own role as Technical Services and Serials/Electronic Database Management Librarian at Central Piedmont Community College, I often find myself caught up in the day-to-day chaos of serials (prediction patterns, title changes, lions, tigers, faculty, and bears…you get the picture).  The conference and its theme provide us the opportunity to reflect on the issues that define our work and our roles in the serials information chain.  After all, a vista is more than just a broad, pleasant view – it’s an understanding of a range of time, events and subjects – a broad, deep, thoughtful picture of the place of serials in the 21^st Century.      

In Denver, the mile high views will allow conference attendees to look towards the future of serials management to see what opportunities and developments are upon the horizon.  While it is a somewhat daunting challenge to consider just what the primary points on the serials horizon might be, here are the most intriguing issues I believe that the information community, serials librarians, and I will be facing in the future. 

ACCESS MODELS: INNOVATIONS IN CONTENT DELIVERY

Serials librarians have already begun to see the proliferation of new and different types of access models, as well as innovation and change in the arena of scholarly publishing.  For instance, the recent explosion of various open access journal and institutional repository initiatives represent a new wave of models for accessing serial content electronically.  Clearly, it remains to be seen if such initiatives are sustainable in the long term, but it still behooves us to consider how we will incorporate open access journals into our libraries’ current slate of electronic journal offerings.  We should also consider how the growth of open access initiatives will impact licensing agreements.  Speaking of electronic journals, the seemingly age-old tension between print and electronic journal holdings will continue to challenge both libraries’ budgets and services to their patrons.  Central Piedmont Community College offers classes on six campuses and, with limited space at each campus library, we rely heavily on electronic access to journals to meet student needs.   At the same time, students need access to print journals, particularly for programs accredited by national agencies.  In short, then, we will be continuing to strive for a balance between the competing demands of print and electronic journals.  We will have to find innovative ways to continue to deliver content to our users in formats that address competing requirements.  

INTEGRATION: FINDING MADE EASIER

In many ways, too, electronic journals are a beast that has yet to be tamed, though, admittedly, we have come a long way in simplifying access to electronic journal collections.  The advent of “A-Z” services and open-URL link resolvers has made our content much more accessible to our patrons, and has begun to break down the barriers between print and electronic journals. For example, the A-Z product we use at CPCC allows users to simultaneously see both the print and electronic journal holdings, and link directly to both the databases and the library catalog.    I think, however, that the future holds greater opportunities for deeper integration of serials into library services.  Federated search engines, for example, offer great promise for providing patrons with a single, integrated search interface through which to access a wide variety of library resources.  Such search engines and interfaces take content out the information silos of individual databases/collections, and give users a bird’s eye view of the richness of the library’s collection.  I believe that federated searching has the ability to further break down the barriers between serials and other types of library resources, regardless of format.  Providing our patrons with successful search experiences will, I think, only increase the usage of valuable journal content in both print and electronic forms.   

CHANGE: THE ONLY SURE THING

They say that death and taxes are the only certainties, but I would add a third item to the list: change.  As we survey the serials vista, perhaps the one thing we can be sure to see on the horizon is change.  The ability to manage change effectively, then, becomes a critical skill for serials librarians.  Just thinking about all the elements of the serials information chain and how they are likely to evolve in the future is enough to make one’s head spin.  I would argue, however, that while the rate of change seems to be increasing, the possibilities and opportunities to deliver needed information in new and user-friendly ways represent a remarkable opportunity to make a difference in the lives of library patrons.  Imagine a world where patrons seamlessly authenticate and move from resource to resource, finding and using information in all its formats.  In Denver, the views won’t be just mile-high, they’ll be breathtaking! 

THE SERIALS VISTA: A PERSONAL VIEW

The issues I have described are certain to provide both challenges and opportunities to the larger information community and to individual serials librarians.  As a new serials librarian, I look forward to building a long-term career finding innovative methods for managing the change that is sure to come. I believe that this is an exciting time to be in the serials field, full of opportunities to connect patrons with journal content.  As I take a moment to survey the vista of my own serials career, I will also remember to look back, both to remember those whose work has come before me and to bring forward the new serials librarians who come after me.  Participation in NASIG and the conference will be a welcome opportunity to work towards both of those goals. Not only is it an exciting time for NASIG in Denver, then, it’s an exciting time to define our roles in the changing world of the serials information chain.