Dear all,
As part of some ongoing investigations into ways to drive stock replacement and refreshment more proactively, I have been tasked with looking a little further into how both our and other institutions approach the issue of identifying new editions of books.
Interviews to date with Faculty Liaison Librarians have suggested there is currently no systematic practice in place for identifying new editions. Staff and students are the drivers of sourcing new editions in some cases (by expedient of requests for ones we’ve missed when found not to be in stock), mentions in JISC mailing lists in others.
Hard copy lists from publishers are still routinely worked through by some FLLs, though such lists are reportedly not sent to them in the same quantity as in the past. One FLL highlighted Bookseller’s cessation of the printing of complete subject lists, which were copied and toothcombed by all relevant parties in her department, as an unhelpful development. Further, whilst online ordering services such as Dawson Enter can be configured to produce subject- or classification-specific alerts of all new stock (from which new editions could be identified), such alerts currently regiment working practices a little more than she would like, being (unless there’s something she and I have completely overlooked!) no more frequent than monthly.
A literature search for practice outwith the University hasn’t proven especially enlightening as yet, with nothing in the likes of the CILIP Update subject indices or BUBL adding significantly to the findings.
I’d be delighted, therefore, to learn of your own approaches to identifying and sourcing new editions, please. How assiduously is this performed? Does the process live or perish on the proactivity of staff and students in alerting you to any such new editions? Do the ordering services you use flag up editions with such effectiveness that staff and student input is less frequent, or vital, than it once was?
I’m happy to receive responses on- or off-list, and equally happy to collate findings for the list in due course.
Many thanks in advance,
Jeremy
Jeremy Grayson BA (Hons) MA MCLIP
Library Database Manager (acting)
The University of Sheffield
40 Victoria Street
Sheffield
S3 7QB
Email: [log in to unmask]
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