Annual Report
2002-2003

Serials Department Report
2002-2003

I. Collection

A. Paper Serials

B.  Microforms [Exclusive of Government Documents & Archives]

* Non-newspaper

C. ELECTRONIC SUBSCRIPTIONS

The Library's budget available for electronic databases is greatly enhanced by our membership and participation in TexShare, the statewide resource sharing initiative. Through TexShare, users have access to over 40 databases in addition to the electronic subscriptions in the table below. Through our electronic subscriptions, users have access to over 10,000 full-text journals.

II.  EXPENDITURES

A. All serials:$180,487

B. Print Periodical Expenditure By Discipline

III.  PUBLIC SERVICE

A. Periodical usage [Journals checked-out or used in-house]:  4,905

B. Microform usage [titles reshelved]: 2,686

C. Routing

The Serials Department routed 168 journal titles to 44 faculty members. Routing includes 5 faculty members at off-campus locations.

IV.BIBLIOGRAPHIC CONTROL

A. Serials Module: Check-in:

Because of a problem with Horizon programming, we were requested NOT to implement check-in. However, Summary Holdings were added using the Module.

B. Periodicals List:

In order to implement TD Net as a replacement for our Periodicals List, we initiated a project with Cataloging/Documents at the start of the spring semester to review all periodicals holdings. The project:

1. Verified holdings on the shelf compared with library records;
2. Corrected bibliographic records in Horizon;
3. Eliminated records for which we had no holdings;
4. Added records for all previous titles;
5. Added Summary Holdings to all bibliographic records;
6. Submitted titles to TD Net, to be linked by ISSN if available or (possibly) by OCLC number if not.

C. Periodicals:

During the summer of 2003, I linked all paper subscription titles with their online version for those identified by Ebsco as having online available with print. Of approximately 400 subscriptions, only one fourth are available online at no cost or for a small fee. Some are linked through Ebsco's Electronic Journal Service (EJS); links will be kept updated by Ebsco and changes will be transparent to us because of Ebsco's use of a durable URL. Others are linked directly, and will be added to EJS if Ebsco indicates that they are available through that service. None of the links have yet been added to TD Net, which is still trying to deal with links to our online catalog.

V. ACCOUNTING

Ending the fiscal year is still a massive headache since Acquisitions cannot encumber funds into the new fiscal year. Serials closed its books as of the end of July, which means some invoices are being held until September for payment. The PeopleSoft voucher system at UHV is still undergoing changes, but Jo Ann Spears has gained a sufficient level of expertise to handle problems that have arisen.

VI. SPECIAL PROJECTS

A. SACS

Between September and December 2002, the Victoria College SACS Reaffirmation of Accreditation Steering Committee gathered responses from departments and administrators, and compiled an addendum which was sent to the SACS Visiting Committee in January 2003. The Visiting Committee made its visit in early February. Mitzie Stewart, as a member of the Steering Committee worked to comply with the few requests made by the Committee with regard to the sections for which she was responsible. The entire process was deemed a great success, as Victoria College received very few additional recommendations from the Visiting Committee and a general commendation from them with regard to the campus, its facilities and its educational services.

B.  TexShare TexTreasures Grant

In spring 2003, Mitzie Stewart, Serials Librarian, participated on a panel at the Texas Library Association Conference at the request of Kathy Hoffman of the UT Medical Branch, Houston, who chaired the panel. Panelists were asked to prepare a PowerPoint presentation describing our TexTreasures project, giving hints to potential applicants regarding both writing the grant proposal and carrying out the project. Though the audience was meager, the panel was well received.

C.  Index to Texas Magazines and Documents

Since the indexing team was very busy during the spring semester, a combined first/second quarter index for 2003 during the summer was produced. For the first time, the index was distributed on cd-rom in pdf format. Even though notices had been sent with renewals in November 2002, and in spite of documentation included with and on the cd-rom, the change in format occasioned a large number of queries. Although no library has expressed a complaint, there appears to be a certain degree of dissatisfaction with our choice, and we have already received a few cancellations. Time will tell how successful our effort to reduce paper has been. There were 63 subscribers for 65 copies in 2003.