We have started the 330's. This is a huge area so I am breaking it down into sections.
Discards:
Business Information - outdated
Encyclopedic Dictionary of Economics - outdated
Economic Indicators Handbook - outdated
County Business Patterns (all) - outdated
Handbook of U.S. Labor Statistics 2004 - outdated and very easy to get on the web
Occupational Projections and Training Data 2006-07 - newer ed on web
O*Net - better on web
Wall Street Dictionary - 1999 - outdated
Thomson Bank Directory - 2006 -too many changes in banking world since then
Savings Directory - same as bank directory
S&P Stock Reports - we discontinued the subscription back in the spring
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Wall Street Acronyms.... 1992 - outdated
Investment Statistics Locator 1995 - outdated
Possible updates and other questions:
Employment, Hours, and Earnings States and Areas 2008 - Cancel standing order? Easily findable on the web.
Summer Jobs Worldwide - This area is no place for this--never seen. Where else can we put this, or cancel standing order?
Encyclopedia of Banking and Finance and Palgrave's - both early 90s, but still valuable? Palgrave's has no update; Encyclopedia of banking has 2002 ed for $425 which I don't think we want.
Directory of Obsolete Securities 2006 - we can get 2008 for about $110 - worth it since new ed is $2500?
Handbook of Fixed Income Securities - 2005 - move to circ since it's a textbook?
Credit Repair - update with 2009 ed for both ref and circ
McGraw-Hill's Interest amortization tables -1993 -can update to 2006 for $4?
8 comments:
I agree with all but two of your decisions about items to send to the dustbin:
Investment Statistics Locator is one of those sources that can make a librarian look like an expert in a field he or she may know little about. Of course, the book badly needs updating. If I ever retire and it still hasn’t been revised, maybe I’ll do it (not likely). I’ve searched high and low for something better, but to no avail. What I have found is that major university libraries still include it in their lists of recommended business reference sources alongside Mergent and NetAdvantage, etc., so apparently I’m not the only one who still finds it of value. It doesn’t take up much shelf space, so I hope you’ll spare it. I’ll keep looking for something newer.
While The Handbook of Fixed Income Securities could be used as a textbook and the information is organized by chapters, I’d argue that it is really more like a specialized encyclopedia. It provides detailed definitions of terms and lengthy yet concise explanations of such things as mortgage-backed securities, yield-curve analysis, credit risk modeling, and residential asset-backed securities. I’d rather see us keep it in reference and allow it to circulate (and keep our fingers crossed that it doesn't get swiped). Promise we’ll replace it if it does?
I would cancel the S/O for all books of government statistics except Stat Abstracts, including Employment, Hours and Earnings and the Handbook of Labor Statistics, because this data (and much more) is easily found on the web—AND one can expect to find the latest available data there. I'm sure we can put the money to better use.
Where to put Summer Jobs? I’m not sure it matters, although I guess 331.7 might be more appropriate. This is such a unique item, that it’s not likely to get that much use unless we put it out on display.
A big yes on the 2008 Directory of Obsolete Securities for $110.
I do think that Palgrave’s and Encyclopedia of Banking are still of value, and would vote to keep them, but not to update EB for that price.
Thanks, CH. I wondered about the Investment Statistics Locator myself, but was swayed by the dated appearance. We will definitely keep. Handbook of Fixed Income Securities will stay in ref. And I hope to remember to display Summer Jobs Abroad next spring.
Another yes on the Directory of Obsolete Securities. ml
I think all government stats should be tossed--we can get them up to date on the web. Even the OOH, which is sort of new, has been updated on the web (did you know they have a quarterly online magazine that reflects current job trends--it is an excellent source for information about who is hiring now).
The Handbook of Fixed Income Securities is THE book on FI. It is looked at regularly by people taking the CFA as well as people who are creating risk assessment models. I would love to see a circulating copy added to the collection and keep REF non-circ because I do think it will walk away if people know it can be taken out.
I would put Summer jobs in the YA area.
2008 Directory of Obsolete Securities for $110--this is a big HUGE yes to getting this. I feel that the $2,500 is bargain for the new one as well, but I understand that budgets just don't allow for that.
I would not get any updates on banking until the current mess is settled. Any new legislation will make what we get out of date very quickly. Again, I think smart use of gov't websites will provide us with all we need until then.
Credit repair is an important topic, but I think there are many items available that are less reference more consumer friendly and likely much cheaper.
Interest amortization tables can be found on-line, but they are not generally complete because any financial calculator can not calc this quickly and easily for a specific loan instead of the round numbers available in the tables. Because of this, I would not buy this new.
oops--the financial calculators can NOW calculate amortization--I wrote not, which is wrong...
j
I just realized that I forgot to opine on Pratt's Guide to Private Equity Sources, which is on the cart, but not the list.
I don't see the point in buying the 2007 edition, even on the cheap. And $750 is just too much to pay for the current version. SCORE people have told me they think only an extremely small percentage of the folks who come for counseling would qualify for private equity or venture capital funding. And, from what I've read on the subject so far, I think they're right.
The March 1, 2007 issue of Searcher has an excellent article on searching for venture capital firms, including useful pathfinders on a few university web sites and details on several directories on the web. None of these are free, but a number of them allow one-time searches that cost a modest amount (under $100).
The article mentions Pratt's as one of the major print sources for this kind of information, but it also lists others of comparable or only slightly higher price, and Pratt's does not come off as a clear favorite. Nor, from what the article says, is it sufficient in and of itself. And, again, this is too much money to spend on a source with such a limited audience among our users.
I think that, if anyone asks us for a way to identify venture capital/private equity firms, we should suggest that they speak with an investment banker who would have access to all the latest info. If the patron want to do their own searching, I'd direct them to the Searcher article, which is on Factiva (Davis, Jan and Coalson, Marianne. Looking for Venture Capital Firms: a Searcher Adventure. Searcher. Vol. 15: No. 1, March 1, 2007).
GS says: I am going to defer to the experts (Cynthia and Catherine) when it comes to the timeliness of various business resources but I am going to weigh in on probably the most unlikely book of them all-Summer Jobs Worldwide 2009.
We have a number similar type books in different parts of the library and I think they should all be together.
In Reference we have:
Volunteer Vacations (Ref 910.202 Vol)
Get Outside: A Guide to Volunteer Opportunities and Working Vacations in America’s Great Outdoors (Ref 790.06 Get)
In the travel collection we have:
Alternative Travel Directory: The Complete Guide to Traveling, Studying and Living Oversees (Travel 910.202 Alt)
The 100 Best Worldwide Vacations to Enrich Your Life (Travel 910.202 Gro)
Volunteer: A Traveller’s Guide to Making a Difference Around the World (Travel 910.202 Vol)
I think we should move Summer Jobs Worldwide AND the two reference books to the circulating travel collection where folks can find them and they can be shelved together.
I don’t think Summer Jobs Worldwide is that good for YA. Many of the positions have a minimum age of 18 so it seems more geared to college students and recent college graduates.
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