Department: Collection Development

Procedure: Determining Use of Periodical or Serial Volumes
(Pulling use data for item records attached to one bibliographic record)

Updated 29 August 2017

Purpose: The purpose of the procedure is to explain how to obtain use data for bound periodicals or serials to help with collection development decisions. This procedure applies only to item records that are attached to one bibliographic record.
Procedure*

1. Find the bibliographic record number and copy it.

a. In Sierra, the record number will be in the upper left and begin with a “b.”

b. In the public catalog, all but the last digit of the bib record number will be in persistent link URL, and will also begin with a “b.” The last digit of the bib record number will appear as a squiggle. Substitute the letter “a” for the squiggle and the following procedures will work. The “S0” is not part of the bib record number.

2. Open Internet Explorer and input the URL for Sierra Web Management Reports http://galileo.valpo.edu:4448/managerep/mainview/0//? (Note: Internet Explorer is the only browser that works.)

3. Type in your Sierra initials and Sierra password.

4. Under CIRCULATION on the left, click on the box in front of “Circ Activity.”

5. Under CIRC STATS, click the “Title” box. The menu choice will change.

6. Click on the “Submit” button at the bottom.

7. The screen may default to a list of review files, or it may show the table from the last time this function was used. If it shows the list of review files, proceed to #8 below. If it shows an older table, click on the box in front of “Remove Existing Tables.” The menu choice will change. Again, click on the in front of “Remove Existing Tables”; then click on the “Submit” button. If the screen reverts back to the introductory screen, follow the directions starting at #5 above.

8. You will be searching for use data for item records attached to only one bibliographic record.

a. Paste your bib record number into the Maximum record box. Delete the “b” in front of the number and replace the last digit of the record number or the squiggle with an “a.”

b. Type in the previous sequential bib number in the Minimum record box. For example, if my bib record number is 1165559a the previous next number in sequence will be 1165558a.

c. Click on the “Submit Query” button at the top.

9. Wait for a few seconds. Then click on the “Status” button. If the table is ready, it will appear. If it is not ready, it won’t appear. Wait a few more seconds and click on the Status button again. Repeat until your table appears.

10. The first title in your table will be the one for your record. (This is very counter-intuitive, but it works.)

• Items=The number of item records attached to this bibliographic record (i.e. the number of volumes).

• YTDCIRC=Checkouts since the beginning of the fiscal year.

• 2YRCIRC=Checkouts last fiscal year.

• Chkout=Total checkouts since we started circulating older periodicals out of the ASRS (August 2004).

• INTL USE=Scans for internal use—usually for bound periodicals when they were on the first floor, but it could also be for someone using an ASRS volume at the Circulation Desk (a quick check, or a community patron.)

• COPY USE=Scans when the item has been picked up in a copy machine room.

• IUSE3=Used by mistake for either INTL USE or COPY USE.

• Total (on left)=Chkout + INTL USE + COPY USE + IUSE3.

• Total (on bottom) IGNORE

11. If you make a mistake, click on the box in front of “Remove Existing Tables” on the left. Then click on it again. Then click on the “Submit” button at the bottom. Once the table is gone, you can start over again.

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