Target > SIRS Articles

["Gail M. Szeliga" <ny000999@MAIL.NYSER.NET>]

Responses reagrding SIRS articles:
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From: Elizabeth Haynes <ehaynes@tenet.edu>

Hi, Gail...We subscribe to almost all the SIRS print volumes.  We have
removed most of the earlier volumes and kept only the latest two
volumes.  Part of the reason for this was space (as well as
out-datedness) since we do not allow free access to the volumes.  Because
we removed entire volumes, indexing is not a problem.  The only place the
volumes that are no longer present show up is in the cross-reference
index and we tell the students we don't have the earlier volumes. It
hasn't been a problem.

We are planning to get SIRS on CD-ROM this coming year.  We will then not
keep updating the print volumes.  I would like to have both, but frankly
I can't afford it and my preference is for the CD-ROM product.
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From: "Joyce G. Miller" <jmiller@services.dese.state.mo.us>

Gail,

Sorry this ended up being so long, but you brought up a topic I've been
dealing with and it's good to have someone with whom to discuss it.  I
will be most interested in seeing the responses you receive.  I'm leaving
for a 3 1/2 week vacation (YEA!!!!) on Monday, so will be setting to 'no
mail' from June 26 to July 20.  Please, if you get a hit together
during that time, let me know after the 20th so I can look for it in the
archives (which I've never tried before)....or save & send me a copy then
if you prefer.

On Mon, 20 Jun 1994, Gail M. Szeliga wrote:


> What do you do when most of the volumes articles are out of date, for
> example a 1983 copyright date pertaining to the drinking age in the
> Alcohol volume?

I haven't done anything yet.  I will be interested in the response to
this, because I have been thinking about what to do.  Right now, I am
leaning toward discarding _all_ that are more than 6 years old.  The
problem with that is, the indexes go all the way back to the beginning
volumes, which is frustrating for the students when they request an
article and we do not have it. We no longer put the notebooks out for
students to browse through the articles. (See below).  I have considered
putting out the older ones again, since their loss would not be as
critical as the newer articles.


> Do you have the volumes out in the open so students can browse the
> contents or do they have to request copies at a periodical desk after
> checking the index?

For several years, 12 or so, we left them out for the students to have
easy access.  As our collection grew, and we moved into a larger facility
where it is more difficult to keep an eye on how materials are being
used, our losses grew accordingly.  Concurrently, the price increased and
it was costing too much to replace missing articles, so now, (for the
past three years) we keep them in the periodical room and students use the
indexes and make requests.  Our losses from theft have been _almost_
eliminated.

> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> (We probably are one of the few schools that have SIRS binders out in
> the open for students to browse.  I feel that the benefits outweigh the
> disadvantages of this system as I see students actually interested in
> many of these articles.  These articles are also great for narrowing a
> very general topic such as *drugs* or *sports*!


You are absolutely right, and I have wrestled with this problem yearly.
I really don't like _not_ having them out.  It is more difficult to get
the kids familiar with how to use them; generally the brighter kids have
no problem, but some others just give up because it is confusing to them.
It is also more work for us!

My friend and colleague at a large high school in our state puts her
print copies out also, but does not replace lost copies.

This is one of the reasons
> I do not subscribe to the full text SIRS on CD ROM, I would miss the
benefits of hands-on browsing by our students.)

They do some browsing on the CD ROM also, and I feel the practice with
Boolean operators, which is really easy for them to pick up on the SIRS,
is invaluable.


> Do you subscribe to just the print articles, the CD Index and print
> articles, the full text CD and print articles or only the full text CD?
> Could you give me a rationale for your choice with your answer?

I added the full text CD in December 93.  We currently only have one station.
I have not purchased the print articles for the 93 or 94 update, to see
how it is used.  I'm still trying to decide about whether to continue the
print format.  My present inclination is to do so.  The company does give
a discount on print if you have the CD.  My idea is this: since we do have
the CD, and copies of the last several years of print are also on
microfiche, we can provide the print copies _and_ put them out for
browsing.  If we lose some of the newer ones, we can still provide copies
from the other formats.

I definitely am pleased to have the full text CD, and it
is in great demand.  _All_ the students, challenged and gifted alike,
seem to be comfortable with it.  The problem is, we need several more
stations.....oh well, one step at a time!

> Do you subscribe to CQ Researcher?  It is excellent source of research
> reports on "hot topics".  I found many librarians do not know about it.
> It is one of our most valuable sources.

Yes, I do, and I fully concur with your assessment.  It is terrific!
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From: s_lochhead@mentor.unh.edu

We just discarded all the v.1 binders, and some of the v.2.  I thought
the stuff way too dated (many back in the 1970s in those v.1s) to cull
individually.

Also just switched over from print to cd.  It's a space issue more
than anything.  We will miss the binders, and buy a lot of ink,
but it's still cheaper than losing more floor space (the wall space
is long since gone.)

Also keep them in the open.  Life is too short to run for them.  Even
circulate individual articles on a 3 week loan, like books and
back issue periodicals.
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From: FLRESNIK@ECUVM.CIS.ECU.EDU

     Now for SIRS.  I would like to purchase the CD-ROM version, but I believe
that at the present time we spend enough on NEWSBANK and EBSCO Magazine Article
Summaries, full text.  I also believe that some resources should be available i
n print with only 6 search stations on the network in order to accommodate an e
ntire class doing research.  And while CD-ROM is a wonderful resource for stor_
ing and locating information, I still believe that the printed page has some
use and value in education.
       We keep our SIRS volumes on the floor of the media center in  a special
carrel where students have access at all times.  Single subject volumes make ta
rgeting subjects easy, and quite a few students like to browse in these items.
There is a problem with stolen articles, and we do spend about $50 to $75 per y
ear for replacement of recent articles.
       Since my earliest volumes go back only to 1987, I haven't yet faced the
problems of outdated materials.  I am sure that I can benefit from the results
of your TARGET.
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From: "Barbara N. Stover" <bknelson@csn.org>

Hi, Gail.  We also have had SIRS for many years and could'nt live
without it.  I would be interested in hearing the responses you
receive.  I am also wondering how to weed the old information.
We now have the full-text CD version.  However, we still have
the print notebooks purchased prior to the full-text CD.
Consequently, we have the older articles, some duplication of
print and electronic articles, and newer articles just on CD.
Confusing for students.  Thanks for sharing the information
you receive.
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From: lgreenwo@llnj.ll.pbs.org (Linda Greenwood)

In article <772173412.18198@InforMNs.k12.MN.us> you wrote:
: Regarding SIRS article reprints (SOCIAL ISSUES RESOURCE SERIES):

: We find SIRS to be a valuable source for our high school students and
: have been subscribing for many years.  I would just like to informally
: poll other subscribers to ask:

: What do you do when most of the volumes articles are out of date, for
: example a 1983 copyright date pertaining to the drinking age in the
: Alcohol volume?

: Do your discard the entire volume or weed the out of date articles?
: How do you then handle the indexing?

: Do you have the volumes out in the open so students can browse the
: contents or do they have to request copies at a periodical desk after
: checking the index?
: ----------------------------------------------------------------------
: (We probably are one of the few schools that have SIRS binders out in
: the open for students to browse.  I feel that the benefits outweigh the
: disadvantages of this system as I see students actually interested in
: many of these articles.  These articles are also great for narrowing a
: very general topic such as *drugs* or *sports*!  This is one of the reasons
: I do not subscribe to the full text SIRS on CD ROM, I would miss the benefits
 of
: hands-on browsing by our students.)
: -----------------------------------------------------------------------
: Finally .......

: Do you subscribe to just the print articles, the CD Index and print
: articles, the full text CD and print articles or only the full text CD?
: Could you give me a rationale for your choice with your answer?

: I just thought of another question....

: Do you subscribe to CQ Researcher?  It is excellent source of research
: reports on "hot topics".  I found many librarians do not know about it.
: It is one of our most valuable sources.

: Thanks for your time.  I will post a HIT if there is interest.  Please
: respond to me directly.

Gail,
It is interesting that I am reading your message today.  I was working on
SIRS today.  I weed out the out of date materials and place the articles
worth keeping in the verticle file.  This has been working out for us.
Teachers do not want their students using dated materials. Also, we keep the
SIRS behind the desk and students can request a volume to be used at the
circulation desk.  Articles can be taken out of the binder and signed out.
We also circulate the articles overnight.  This had to be done because of
the high thief rate.  We cannot afford the CD version. i wish we could
because I have found that SIRS is used less each year perhaps because
student love the databases available on computer.  We did start to put the
SIRS volumes in the computer catalog.  This may help increase use again.
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From: Floyd Pentlin <PENTLIN%CMSUVMB.bitnet@vm42.cso.uiuc.edu>
Subject:      Re: TARGET -> SIRS ARTICLE

Gail - I don't don't discard (I also don't replace articles that are old,
either.  What I do is to tell students that there is a lot of valuable
information in the older volumes, but they must be sure to have current
citations on the topic to make sure that the information is valid.  I don't
see any difference between the older SIRS than with a magazine from 1984,
which is the beginning date of our electronic magazine index.  It is
valuable to teach students about corroborating their information whether
it is new or old.
>
>Do you have the volumes out in the open so students can browse the
>contents or do they have to request copies at a periodical desk after
>checking the index?

We have our older volumes out in public.  The new stuff is a combination of
electronic and microfiche.
>

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From: Linda Ramsey <lramsey@bigcat.missouri.edu>
Subject: Re: TARGET -> SIRS ARTICLE

Dear Gail,
        We have about 16 binders of articles, which I leave out and let
the students browse.  I encourage them to copy the articles instead of
checking them out.  The loss rate is fairly high.
        Because of the high loss rate, I bought the full text on CD-ROM
two years ago.  We love it.  There are several fairly sophisticated ways
to search for articles, and I am still learning.  My budget doesn't allow
me to buy a new CD every year.  Hopefully I will be able to update it in
a year or so.

        With TOM Infotrac on CD-ROM, SIRS, Dialog access and Internet, we
do a good job of providing reference and research services.
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From: Mary_KENDALL@umail.umd.edu (mk118)
Subject: Re: TARGET -> SIRS ARTICLE

Gail,
    We could not survive at Calvert High School without SIRS and CQ
Researcher!  Another valuable resource is Greenhaven's Opposing View-
points pamphlet series, which we store in pamphlet files, arranged by
ISBN number, and accessed by utilizing the catalog as an index.
    To answer your question re SIRS.  Multiple copies of indices are
available at the desk, and we retrieve the articles for the students
(all pamphlets and reprints are available for overnight loan.)  The
earliest notebooks (vols. 1) have been withdrawn; we always hand out
the most recent indices first, and then have the student work back-
wards toward the oldest articles.  Students have access to a copier,
which really helps ( 10 cents a page.)
    CQ Researcher is an excellent resource, very popular with both
students and teachers (and members of Congress.)  Students have open
access to the current subscription and bound vols.; the weekly issues are
circulated overnight.  There is no attempt to withdraw older vols., as
the information may have some value; again, we encourage students to
use the latest information first.
    Greenhave Press releases updated pamphlets, and we do withdraw the
obsolete issues.
    Always glad to talk to someone else as enthusiastic about these
resources as we are!.

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From: Contra Costa County Library - Pinole <libconp2@CERF.NET>
Reply-To: Contra Costa County Library - Pinole <libconp2@CERF.NET>

At my high school we have a complete set of SIRS going back many many
years. Because of space we have out only the 2 or 3 most current vol. on
each topic. I store the old volumes since they are used once in a while
to do some historic research. We keep our binders semi open to the
students. They are behind the desk by the periodicals but, unlike the
periodicals, the students are welcome to get the binders down and browse
at will. The articles are not to be taken out of the library and when
they are taken into the main reading room they must be signed out mych
like a periodical. We lose some articles but find this system works quite
well. Since several classes a day may use the same atricles or
periodicals we do not allow them to go out overnight. We make copies at
$.10/page and students are quite willing to pay. This coming year we will
purchase the index CD but not the articles.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
MOESHS@delphi.com
Subject: Re: TARGET -> SIRS ARTICLE

Gail--
We subscribe to only the CD fulltext.  I would like to have
both the CD and print format, but don't like to duplicate
resources on our very limited budget.  Since I feel forced
to choose between the two, I went with the CD.  We are
netwok rked and so many students can, in effect, use the
same article at the same time if they so choose.  We also
had a lot of problems with overdues and loo sing of print
SIRS.  One draawback for us though--we do go through a
LOT of computer paper.  As you know the articles are quite
long and although I am constantly saying, "Please print
out ONLY what you actually need!" , I often find pages
and pages of discarded SIRs in the lab.
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From: "Sandra L. Doggett" <sdoggett@umd5.umd.edu>
Subject: Re: TARGET -> SIRS ARTICLE

I stopped subscribing to the notebooks because the students stole so many
articles and they were a pain to keep in numeric order. It seemed like
when a student used the index the article they wanted was always gone.
        Now I buy the CD-ROM and there are no filing errors. It is true
only one student can use it at a time, but it seems to work out.  I tell
them if it is a long article, I will print it for them after the class
leaves and they can pick it up later in the day. The  CD-ROM is much
easier to maintain and use. I would highly recommend it. It is probably
used more than any other CD in our library. It can be networked for no
additional charge, although I don't have a network yet.
        Sandy Doggett, Linganore High, Frederick <MD
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From: bfiehn@lps.esu18.k12.ne.us (Barbara Fiehn)
Subject: Re: TARGET -> SIRS ARTICLE

>Regarding SIRS article reprints (SOCIAL ISSUES RESOURCE SERIES):
>


When I was in secondary I kept mine out for student access too.  I strongly
believe in student empowerment.

I'd certainly weed out of date materials from SIRS just like you do from
any other material.

I am currently in a K-5 building and will be writing a grant to purchase
the new SIRS elementary CD ROM program.  I am looking forward to seeing it
when released in the fall.
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From: Shelley Glantz Arlington High 617-646-1000 x3138 <GLANTZS@a1.mec.mass.edu>
Subject: Re: SIRS Article

Gail,

To answer your last question first,
we do subscribe toCQ Researcher and catalog
each issue in our card catalog with a subject card.

We get the SIRS print articles (all series - SIRS, Science,
Critical Issues, and Global Perspectives.

We also get the Index on CD-ROM.

I agree with you completely, they are great.
The kids love the articles, and find them
very helpful. I have one teacher that has her
kids write a short current issues paper, using SIRS only.

We check out copies of SIRS articles only. No originals go out.
Bsically, the kids find the article they want, request a copy
(if there is not one already) and it is checked out as a
temporary item on our circulation system.

We keep the copies on file, so they can be recirculated.
Each volume has a file folder in a file cabinet in the
reference room. Kids know to check the files first, if there
is no copy they bring the original and a form (supplied free of
charge from SIRS) to the circulation desk. If they cannot be copied
by our staff immediately, students come back later to pick them up.

We do weed outdated articles, by volume. After all, the index on
CD-ROM eliminates outdated volumes when it's updated.
I go through them and put some in the vertical file. The rest are tossed.

Hope this info helps. I think I've answered all of your questions.
Feel free to write if you need more.

Shelley Glantz, Library Media Specialist
Arlington (MA) High School
glantzs@a1.mec.mass.edu

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From: "Mary V. Jameson" <mjameson@services.dese.state.mo.us>
Subject: Re: TARGET -> SIRS ARTICLE

> What do you do when most of the volumes articles are out of date, for
> example a 1983 copyright date pertaining to the drinking age in the
> Alcohol volume? Pitch them!
>
> Do your discard the entire volume or weed the out of date articles?
> How do you then handle the indexing? Weed through, put rest in vertical
file under proper subject heading. >
> Do you have the volumes out in the open so students can browse the
> contents or do they have to request copies at a periodical desk after
> checking the index? No, solo librarians could not possibly keepup with
articles out in the open; they would be gone!  Simple request forms are
left at circulation desk, these request forms become my circulation forms.
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> (We probably are one of the few schools that have SIRS binders out in
> the open for students to browse.  I feel that the benefits outweigh the
> disadvantages of this system as I see students actually interested in
> many of these articles.  These articles are also great for narrowing a
> very general topic such as *drugs* or *sports*!  This is one of the reasons
> I do not subscribe to the full text SIRS on CD ROM, I would miss the benefits
 of
> hands-on browsing by our students.)
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Finally .......
>
> Do you subscribe to just the print articles, the CD Index and print
> articles, the full text CD and print articles or only the full text CD?
> Could you give me a rationale for your choice with your answer? I
subscribe to the full text CD and some slected print.  Students tend to
request the same articles over and over and I do not want to have to
print any more than needed.  Comment: Printing from a full text database
is a real problem, especially with SIRS.  Would be interested in your
thoughts on how tohandle.  Also, my students seem to prefer SIRS over
MAS.  They think it is easier.
> > I just thought of another question.... >
> Do you subscribe to CQ Researcher?  It is excellent source of research
> reports on "hot topics".  YES - excellent source.  Weekly issues become
vertical file when bound volume is available.  I found many librarians do
not know about it. > It is one of our most valuable sources.
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