Serials Department

Faculty and Staff
Functions
Bindery
Thesis/Dissertation Binding Guidelines

Each member of the serials staff is able to obtain the information you need, whether it is the expected date of receipt of an issue, where a volume is in the binding process, or to explain a bibliographic record or holdings. You may also direct your specific question to the following:

To inquire about SERLINE information, or for information on adding your department library to Helix:

Sheryl Williams. Head, Serials Dept.
(402) 559-7098
swilliam@unmc.edu

Peggy Finch
(402) 559-7093
pfinch@unmc.edu

Functions

The Serials Department organizes the library's serial collection using national bibliographic standards, provides access to these materials through Helix and SERLINE, and prepares library materials and theses for binding.

Approximately 62% of McGoogan Library's holdings are comprised of serial volumes. We currently subscribe to over 1800 journals, newspapers, and series titles. In addition, the library has more than 4300 inactive titles. Serials staff check in more than 18,000 issues each year. Keeping track of what we have not received is an ongoing challenge. We work through vendors or directly with publishers to notify them of non-receipts, defective issues, or issues damaged in the mail.

The accuracy of our holdings is extremely important. Other libraries, in addition to UNMC users, have access to this information. The National Library of Medicine's SERLINE database, used for interlibrary loan, is updated regularly by serials staff to reflect changes in holdings, or the addition or deletion of titles. Our title holdings are also recorded on OCLC, the international bibliographic databse located in Dublin, Ohio. This information is used for interlibrary loan requests by libraries around the world.

Bindery

Every two weeks, issues are prepared for binding and sent to Houchen Bindery in Utica, Nebraska. Helix has enhanced the availability of our holdings by making this status immediately apparent to you, the user, when you look up a journal title.

Thesis/Dissertation Binding Guidelines

Paper

Library and Departmental copies: high-quality (25% rag content) 20# - 8 1/2 x 11 - white acid-free

A medium quality paper may be used for personal copies, but they may not stay as nice-looking over the years.

Photographs

Reproduction on full page photographic paper will ensure future readability. Other options are mounting via a cold-mount process or by using archival mounting corners.

AVOID liquid glue (Elmers), glue sticks and most spray mounts. These will not work because over time they:

a)become brittle or dry,
b)react chemically with the photo resulting in spotting on the photo,
c)"bleed through" the paper, picking up print from the following pages.

Margins

1" top, front (right) and bottom
1 1/2 inner (left) for binding
CAUTION: Watch page numbers!!

These are the ideal margins and apply to non-text material as well. Doctoral students: please check the UMI standards for their margins. All students: the inner (left) binding margin cannot be less than 5/8".

Thickness

2" maximum (approximately 300 pages) is recommended.

The weight of the bound volume causes stress on the binding. If the thesis/dissertation is thicker than this, we recommend dividing it into two volumes.

Cover Title

Length per line:
4 1/4" for 12 cpi
5" for 10 cpi
6 1/4' for 8 cpi

A larger font is used for printing the title on the cover. If the title as printed on the title page exceeds these parameters, please attach a copy of the title as you wish it to appear on the cover.