Network Bulletin No. 97-32
Date: June 13, 1997
Subject: Magazines
Index term: New titles and conversion to cassette
Network Bulletin 97-31 presented the new lists of magazine
titles to be offered beginning in January 1998. This
bulletin discusses some of the issues surrounding the
transition from current to new offerings and describes the
first steps in the introduction of magazines on cassette.
_Transition Issues_
Changes to magazine subscriptions related to the new title
list fall into three categories: automatic rollovers, new
subscriptions, and deletions.
_Automatic Rollovers_
Patrons subscribing to one of the ten braille or audio
titles that is being replaced by a similar magazine need
take no action. They will be notified via announcements
included with the magazines beginning in October that the
current title will cease publication and be replaced by the
new title in January 1998. The notices will be recorded at
the beginning of affected audio magazines (and included in
large print on the envelopes) and brailled on a separate
sheet enclosed with affected braille magazines. At the end
of 1997, CMLS will automatically change the magazine codes
from old to new ("automatic rollover") for all subscribers
to these "replacement" magazines. _National Geographic
World_ and the four foreign-language magazines moving from
flexible disc to cassette will be handled similarly, with
new codes replacing the old automatically. When the changes
are made for "replacement" and FD-to-cassette magazines
(mostly in November and December), CMLS will send to
libraries lists of subscribers for the affected magazines.
NLS is working with the four multi-library circulation
systems (CUL, DRA, KLAS, READS) to determine the simplest
method for libraries to introduce the changes into their
local systems.
_New Subscriptions_
Patrons wishing to subscribe to new titles unrelated to any
existing title (or to a "replacement" magazine if they
didn't subscribe to the one it will replace) must ask their
library to enter a subscription for them. Libraries may
submit CMLS transactions for new subscriptions following
current procedures beginning July 7.
_Deletions_
Patrons subscribing to any of the magazines being
discontinued and not replaced need take no action. They
will be notified via announcements included with the
magazines that the title will no longer be offered after
December 1997. At the end of 1997, the discontinued codes
will be deleted from CMLS and lists of subscribers to
affected magazines will be sent to libraries. Libraries
should then remove the defunct codes from their systems.
Again, NLS is working to determine the easiest method for
removing the codes.
Attachments A, B, and C compare the old magazine offerings
with the new for braille, cassette, and flexible-disc
magazines, respectively, and note what actions CMLS will
take in each case. Attachment D lists all of the magazines
that will be discontinued, whether or not they are replaced
by similar titles. These lists are intended for use in
answering patron questions about specific magazines.
Attachment E is a summary of the events leading up to the
introduction of the new magazines next January.
_Cassette Magazines_
As Attachment B shows, NLS will offer all children's, young
adult, and foreign-language magazines on cassette in 1998.
Because of their relatively small subscription bases, these
magazines offer a good test of cassette magazine production.
Subscribers to _National Geographic World_ and the four
foreign-language magazines, all of which are automatic
rollovers, will be notified by announcements on the
magazines of the impending change to cassette format and
reminded to contact their library if they do not already
have a cassette player.
NLS plans to continue the transition in 1999, changing
another group of flexible disc magazines to cassette. The
length of the transition period will depend on NLS budgets
and cassette machine availability, but is projected to be
three to five years.
_Advisory Committees_
NLS wishes to thank network members of the three advisory
committees that participated in the magazine studies. Their
hard work, imagination, and thorough knowledge of their
patrons' needs contributed enormously to the success of the
studies. The committees were as follows:
Magazine Format Study (Flexible Disc/Cassette)
Bridget Battaglini
Michael Gunde
Mamie Grady
Donine Hedrick
Barbara Mates
Magazine Content Study (Including Selection of Adult Titles)
Rayhe Puckett
Keri Putnam
Jane Somers
Nancy Walton
Children's/Young Adult Title Selection
Cassie Hamm
Kathi Kappel
Karen Messick
Connie Sullivan
[This bulletin contained attachments that were mailed to the
network on June 13, 1997.]
For further information, contact:
Michael Moodie
Research and Development Officer
Barbara Peterman
CMLS Coordinator
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