I have a question that dovetails nicely with the one that Bill Maravetz
posted on Tues., about relocation of periodicals.

Context:
I am volunteering in an art museum library.  We are preparing the collection
for a physical move into the new wing that is under construction.  As part of
this process, we are classifying a previously unclassified serials collection.
The bound journals are (and will continue to be) in closed stacks and the
current issues are (and will be) browsable in the publicly-accessible portion
of the library.  We do not plan to put call numbers on the unbound new issues,
but the shelf labels will have both title and call number.

Problem:
While large portions of the serials are bound, and it is relatively easy to affix
call number spine labels, there are large sections of the collection (small runs
of some titles that are otherwise bound, as well as years worth of unbound
runs for some titles) that have never been bound.  There is no money in the
current budget for extra binding.

The unbound issues are generally kept in a variety of open-sided (Princeton)
boxes or plastic holders.  We would prefer not to affix call number labels to every
unbound issue.  We would like ideas for how others physically house and label
issues stored like this.  For example, if you use Princeton boxes, do you put
labels on each individual box?  If so, do the labels have title, call number, and/or
date/volume range for each box?  (While the bound volumes have the titles on
the spine, the boxes sometimes obscure the spine titles on the unbound issues.)
What about boxes that are only 1/2 full and you're adding to them constantly?  

While we don't plan to put call numbers on individual issues (either in the stacks
or on the current shelves), are there advantages to doing so?   If others have
chosen not to do so, what were the factors that led to that decision?  And are
you happy with the way you do it?  Would you prefer changing your system?


The questions are pretty amorphous and we are interested in ideas that are
working (or more importantly, are not working) in other libraries.  Obviously, our
closed stack arrangement is not the norm, and will color our final decisions,
but we are open to any helpful suggestions.  Please feel free to post to the
list, or to send me private responses at steve.murden@vmfa.museum.  I will
send a composite post of any private responses, if there's any interest.

Thanks.

Steve Murden
Volunteer, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Library