There Is No Forest, We're Only Hugging the Trees: Nontraditional Ways of Acquiring, Providing Access and Managing Serials

In a lively session that retained audience interest until the very end of the conference, five panelists presented a variety of viewpoints regarding the current state of serials as well as what is in store for the near future. Jill Emery, who moderated the panel, began with a survey of the serials world in terms of the changes occurring in the past year. These changes include: Vendors facing fiscal collapse, companies up for sale, leadership shakeups, and state budgets in dire straits. Libraries are responding by canceling serials titles. There is tension between customization and standardization because librarians are unable to take full advantage of customization due to standards that tend to remain a step behind.