Serials Solutions® Enhances Magazines for Libraries™ Update
SEATTLE – Nov. 15, 2011 – Serials Solutions®, a business unit of ProQuest® LLC, today announced enhancements to Magazines for Libraries™ (MFL) Update, the web-based service that delivers timely and informative reviews of serials resources. Magazines for Libraries is an annual print compilation of reviews written by subject specialists and has remained a library standard since 1969. The periodic MFL Update moves from its email format to a permanent home on the Serials Solutions website, and is available via RSS feed. Serials Solutions is now providing the service free to librarians everywhere, offering greater access to in-depth evaluations on critical journals and other periodicals and databases.
“We’re witnessing a growing trend toward collaborative collection development,” said Yvette Diven, publisher and senior product manager at Serials Solutions. “The reviews provided in Magazines for Libraries Update are written by librarians, for librarians. We recognize the value of expanding access to these reviews in helping librarians learn and share their knowledge about notable titles and recommended resources.”
Magazines for Libraries reviews have been incorporated into Serials Solutions’ Ulrichsweb™ service for several years, providing Ulrichsweb subscribers with access to the entire compilation of more than 7,000 MFL reviews along with bibliographic and availability details for each title. The free MFL Update offers any librarian the opportunity to sign up to receive new reviews and learn how to become a contributor.
“The accessibility that Magazines for Libraries Update provides is invaluable,” said Cheryl LaGuardia, research librarian at Harvard University’s Widener Library, reviews editor for E-Views and e-Reviews for Library Journal, and editor of MFL Update. “Librarians everywhere now have a tool to help them evaluate new e-resources, print materials and hybrid format titles across the spectrum of for-pay, free and Open Access resources. But most importantly, it offers professional librarians’ perspective on titles for different types of libraries, and supports the library community’s efforts to maintain relevant collections.”
The enhancement of Magazines for Libraries™ Update is part of Serials Solutions’ ongoing commitment of providing unbiased, authoritative information to help librarians meet the objectives of their libraries and institutions.
About Serials Solutions (www.serialssolutions.com)
Serials Solutions® is the global leader in essential discovery and e-resource management solutions which are powered by a comprehensive knowledgebase. Its popular suite of Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions helps improve access to and use of collections, eases librarian workloads, and ultimately reduces operating costs. Solutions include: the world-class Summon™ web-scale discovery service, providing instant access to the full breadth of the library’s collection through a single search; the AquaBrowser® discovery layer, making navigation more accessible; 360 services, the only integrated e-resource access and management solution; KnowledgeWorks, the authoritative e-resource knowledgebase and foundation for Serials Solutions® 360; and Ulrich’s™ services, the world’s most authoritative source of bibliographic and publisher information for serials and the most comprehensive source of print and electronic serials data available. Headquartered in Seattle, Serials Solutions is a member of the ProQuest® family of companies.