Serials and Other Continuing Resources Section
Strategic Plan
2006-2007
Mission
The Serials and Other Continuing Resources Section concerns itself with all issues that make continuing resources unique in both the print and electronic environments. These include: bibliographic standards and control; holdings information; national and international library co-operation; access and availability; conservation and archiving; collection management and development; pricing issues; copyright and licensing issues; and, relationships with the publishers and suppliers of continuing resources, as well as other related organisations. The accelerating impact of technological developments on library continuing resources producers, liaison with suppliers, and the continuing resources publishing industry also fall within the remit of the Section. As access rather than ownership becomes an increasingly important issue, the Section is committed to working closely with the appropriate Core Activities and Standing Committees within IFLA.
Goals
1. Promote the importance of best practices in library continuing resources collection management and development, encourage open access, and provide for the impact of new technology.
(Professional priorities: (a) Supporting the role of libraries in society; (b) Defending the principle of freedom of information; (d) Providing unrestricted access to information; (f) Promoting resource sharing; (h) Developing library professionals; (i) Promoting standards, guidelines and best practice; (k) Representing libraries in the technological marketplace)
Actions
1.1 Complete revision of the English edition of Basic Serial Management Handbook
1.2 Investigate additional translations of Basic Serial Management Handbook, for example a revision of the Russian translation and a new Italian translation
1.3 Investigate liaison with appropriate groups within IFLA and outside of IFLA to develop a syllabus for education about continuing resources
1.4 Investigate holding a satellite meeting to the Durban Conference on Basic Serial Management Handbook and other serials activities
1.5 Investigate working with Preservation and Conservation Section to develop best practices to ensure permanent access to electronic serials (digital archiving)
2. Work towards the improvement of national and international cooperation on access to continuing resources information to include bibliographic information, holdings, abstracting and indexing services, etc.
(Professional priorities: (a) Supporting the role of libraries in society; (b) Defending the principle of freedom of information; (d) Providing unrestricted access to information; (f) Promoting resource sharing)
Actions
2.1 Maintain Continuing Resources List (i.e., a list of useful continuing resources links) on the Section's Web site on IFLANET
2.2 Investigate working with the Government Information and Official Publications Section on the archiving of government publication serials and other continuing resources
3. Promote the importance of, and improvement to, national and international standards for continuing resources.
(Professional priorities: (i) Promoting standards, guidelines and best practice)
Actions
3.1 Continue close liaison with the ISSN International Centre, e.g., cooperate in the revision of ISO 3297
3.2 Monitor the development and application of national and international standards, including Serial Item Contribution Identifier (SICI), Digital Object Identifier (DOI), and UNIMARC for holdings, by involvement in relevant working groups
3.3 Monitor the development and application of the Open URL Resolver
3.4 Monitor development of Resource Description and Access as it relates to serials and other continuing resources
3.5 Work with IFLA Statistics and Evaluation Section to develop revised and new definitions for statistical reporting relating to continuing resources such as COUNTER
3.6 Begin work on the development of a list of multilingual standardized equivalences for terms related to continuing resources, possibly in coordination with the work being done by the Cataloguing Section on a multilingual dictionary of cataloguing terms
4. Work with a variety of groups outside IFLA (e.g., publishers, authors, suppliers, serials interest groups) and IFLA sections to promote co-operation within the serials information chain
(Professional priorities: (a) Supporting the role of libraries in society; (b) Defending the principle of freedom of information; (d) Providing unrestricted access to information; (f) Promoting resource sharing; (g) Preserving our intellectual heritage)
Actions
4.1 Plan and present at the Seoul Conference, in conjunction with the Acquisitions and Collection Development Section, a follow-up programme to the 2005 programme on business models for serials
4.2 Continue participation in meetings and activities towards closer co-operation with publishers and subscription agents
4.3 Continue close liaison with other serials-related organizations such as the UK Serials Group, the North American Serials Interest Group (NASIG), and German Serials Interest Group (GeSIG)
4.4 Prepare the 2005 and 2006 Conference programme papers for publication
4.5 Monitor work of and collaborate with the Copyright and Other Legal Matters Committee in providing unrestricted access to information
5. Raise the profile of the Section by improving dissemination of information about the programmes, publications, and activities of the Section and by attracting and involving new members
(Professional priorities: (a) Supporting the role of libraries in society; (b) Defending the principle of freedom of information; (d) Providing unrestricted access to information; (f) Promoting resource sharing; (g) Preserving our intellectual heritage); (h) Developing library professionals)
Actions
5.1 Continue the inclusion of reports on appropriate programmes and other activities in the Section's Newsletter
5.2 Continue to ensure that the Section's Information Co-ordinator mounts further information about the Section and its activities on IFLANET
5.3 Work with the chairs of national and multi-national serials interest groups to promote the Section and attract new members
5.4 Promote continuing resources work to library and information science students through various outreach efforts
5.5 Distribute to appropriate electronic groups notice of the availability of the Section's Newsletter on IFLANET
5.6 Revise and update the Section's brochure
