[Genealib] Ways of treating genealogical periodicals?

[Don Litzer]

Barbara,

To clarify your recollections about the Allen County Public Library's Genealogy Center, I'll give as concise an update as possible here.

A caveat at the outset: I write here as a reference librarian and not a cataloger, and the following therefore covers the biggest part of the picture in the fewest words.  This is what a patron would hear and, in combination with the library catalog, collection descriptions at our webpage at www.acpl.info/genealogy, and finding aids at hand at the Genealogy Center, would hopefully understand to the degree necessary to be successful.

BTW, you are all welcome to experience our collection for yourself at the FGS Conference in less than two weeks!

First, regarding closed stacks: since the Genealogy Center's return to our original--but renovated and expanded--location in January 2007, our collection is 100% open stacks; the Genealogy Center now has a public space of almost 40,000 square feet.  In the four years prior to that, while we were in a temporary location, we were over 95% open stacks.  So, we have been a browser-friendly library for quite a while!

Second, regarding periodical shelving: several years ago it was decided to integrate the periodical collection into the general collection.  When I arrived at ACPL in mid-2005, this project was nearly completed--and since has been.  While there is a section where loose periodicals (principally those waiting for sufficient issues for binding and those for which infill copies await to assemble complete runs) are kept in a section of boxes arranged alphabetically by title, the overwhelming majority of periodicals are shelved in call number order, integrated with other materials for that geographic area.  A periodical's call number is sometimes displayed as part of the periodical's record in the PERSI database; it can also be found by searching for the periodical in ACPL's library catalog, accessible from the library's website at www.acpl.info .

Third, the call number format used to differentiate print materials geographically is a modified Dewey system operating thusly for U.S. regional and state-level materials:
--For regional materials, a number with no decimal, e.g., 977 (North Central States) for "Tri-State Obituaries : (Indiana-Ohio-Michigan)" or "Inland Seas" (the journal of the Great Lakes Historical Society)
--For state-level (or regions within a state), a number with one decimal, e.g., 977.5 for the "Catholic Church in Wisconsin" or the "Wisconsin Magazine of History"
--For materials pertaining to a particular county in a state, a number with "xxx.x01," (with "xxx.x" indicating the state) cuttered to the county, e.g., 977.501 M32m for "History of Marathon County, Wisconsin and Representative Citizens" or 977.501 M32gsa for "Newsletter of the Marathon County (WI) Genealogical Society" 
--For materials pertaining to a particular incorporated place in a state, a number with "xxx.x02," (with "xxx.x" indicating the state) cuttered to the incorporated place, e.g., 977.502 SCH63sh for "Schofield (WI) History 1904-2004" or 977.502 M26hmb for "Historic Madison" (the journal of Historic Madison (WI) Inc.)

Of course, there are materials falling outside of a geographic category, including:
--general genealogical materials, in 929, e.g., "Everton's Family History Magazine"
--materials about religions without a geographic focus, in 929.102, e.g., "Friends Intelligencer" for Quaker researchers
--ethnic materials, in 929.11 to 929.19, e.g., "Journal of German-American Studies" in 929.13
--foreign countries' materials have their own numbers, subdivided by region, e.g., "German Genealogical Digest" in 943
--general American materials, in 973 and appropriate decimalization, e.g., "American Genealogist" in 973.005
--family newsletters and anything surname-related, with the 55,000+ collection of family histories in 929.2

Did I mention that, during the FGS Conference, the Genealogy Center will be open to conferees until midnight on Wednesday and Thursday, and from 6 A.M. on Thursday and Friday?

For a collection of our size, it makes sense to have a minimum of distinct collections to make research experiences as straightforward as possible for our users.  Therefore, integrating periodicals has streamlined our collection and been of net benefit.

If you can think of some other odd periodicals that don't neatly fall into one of the categories described above, you're welcome to check our library catalog--or come see for yourself!

Don Litzer
Reference Librarian, The Genealogy Center
Allen County Public Library
900 Library Plaza
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802
e-mail: dlitzer at acpl.info
phone (reference desk): 260.421.1225


>>> bhill at calmail.berkeley.edu 8/1/2007 2:01 AM >>>
Dear List,

A question has come up at our genealogical society library regarding 
how periodicals are treated in other genealogical collections.  It's 
my impression that many public libraries segregate their periodicals 
on different shelving, usually arranged in alphabetical order by 
title.  If so, how come?  Does this have anything to do with the 
Dewey Decimal system?

Our library uses LC call numbers, and the periodicals all have LC 
numbers assigned to them and are interfiled with the books.  Unbound 
issues are shelved in pamphlet boxes next to the bound volumes.  It 
seems to me that the LC call number system lends itself very well to 
a geographic shelving arrangement and facilitates browsing.  Is there 
any logical reason to remove the periodicals and shelve them separately?

Some of our members who have been to the Allen County Library in Fort 
Wayne report that their periodicals are shelved separately but 
arranged geographically, probably because they get so many 
titles.  Does this work well?  What is done with titles which cut 
across geographic boundaries to concentrate on (for example) an 
ethnic group?  I have some dim recollection that Allen County 
possibly used to have closed stacks - would this have any influence 
on how periodicals are shelved?

For those who choose to reply, either directly to me or to the list, 
my specific questions would be:

1) your type of library - public? academic? genealogical/historical 
society? other?
2) how your periodicals are shelved, and your opinion of it?
3) whether your library uses Dewey or LC, and whether you think this 
has any bearing?
4) whether you have closed or open stacks, and whether this has any bearing?
5) (optional)  If you had to start over from scratch, what would you 
do differently?

Thank you all very much!

Barbara Hill
Library Committee member
California Genealogical Society


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