Serials control

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Abstract
Serials control is thought to be the most difficult of library housekeeping processes to automate. No automated serials control system has yet been demonstrated to be cost-effective. Reference is made to systems developed for large mainframes, e.g. OCLC, DOBIS, RLIN and UTLAS. Mini-computer based systems show promise of more efficient operation. Studies at Oxford have shown the feasibility of automated serials check-in being achieved faster than is possible manually. Further studies have demonstrated the constraints imposed for a comprehensive system to be cost-effective. Prediction of the arrival date for irregular serials is a major problem. The difficulties (and expense) of updating files in real-time represents another problem for which a tentative solution is proposed. The need to improve the user interface is emphasised and this is one of the most important matters for further study.

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