Serials Management in Heritage
Serials (journals, periodicals, magazines etc.) control can be a complex business, so our challenge has been to tackle the requirements whilst at the same time making the facility easy to use. Serials management is an optional module for Heritage. Heritage serials control can be broken down into two distinct parts: Cataloguing and Management.
The Cataloguing facility provides the means of entering serial catalogue details at three distinct levels: Titles, Issues and Articles. Keywording can also be performed at the article level, which is particularly useful where library staff might not have the time to make detailed abstract entries. Keywording will at least enhance the chances of returning successful search results on a journal article. The journals information that you enter is then is available through the OPAC alongside monographs. Copies of journal issues can be circulated is the same manner as monographs or, using the Serials Management module, via circulation lists.
The Heritage Serials Management module deals with ordering, receiving and chasing serials as well as circulating them to users. The day to day tasks of dealing with journals have been greatly simplified in Heritage whilst still catering for the ideosyncrasies of publishers and suppliers such as frequency modifications, extra or skipped issues and unusual publication patterns. Order letters and chasers can be generated and emails, if required, to suppliers. Subscriptions can be renewed automatically, or set to require confirmation by the librarian. Issues can be identified as specific copies (perhaps from more than one supplier), chased, checked in and then circulated, either through a routing list, or via the normal circulation system.
Serials Management Examples
Some examples of Serials Management facilities:
Serials cataloguing (Main page)
The main page of the serials catalogue record covers all of the basic information that requires to be entered. The image above shows some of the long list of frequencies that are provided with Heritage and more can be created by the user. Variations from the standard frequencies e.g. July and August issues combined, are handled by the Frequency modification field. The important distinction between issue patterns and issue descriptions is also addressed.
Serials cataloguing (Holdings page)
The holdings page of the catalogue record main displays summary
information about the issues held by a library. Thus the right
hand side shows details of recent issues (including those
still due and any supplements entered). The bottom shows the
circulation lists. Issues may be automatically purged from
the system in accordance with library practice by setting
the minimum and maximum number to keep.
Serials Receipt
Receiving journals could not be simpler. Use the barcode or enter the journal number (or use your in house abbreviation or list all your titles and pick it) and then click on receive. Routing lists can be printed immediately afterwards or batched for production later.
However, suppliers sometimes do not send you all of your copies and publisher like to change around issues. Heritage makes managing these changes simple too by allowing modifications to be entered at the time of receipt. The screenshot above shows the modification form which is accessed by a button on the serials receipts screen.