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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 April 2022
Maurice Line, Director-General of the British Library Lending Division, has said that one can always tell where parties of librarians have been by the trail of union catalogues they leave behind them. He added that ‘there lurks an innate tendency to construct union catalogues in the same way as some species of the animal kingdom have exotic and apparently irrational habits, like the mating displays of kangaroos or the exotic nest building of some birds’.
SCOLMA has been involved in constructing union catalogues for a long time. It is now twenty-three years since it began recording African periodicals — ‘somewhat lightheartedly’, according to Donald Simpson — and we have now published two lists containing almost 23,000 titles with details of library holdings for probably about 13,000. I have a file of about 3,000 extra titles, which is likely to grow considerably in the next few months.
This article is a slightly revised version of a talk given at the Annual General Meeting of SCOLMA held on 3 May 1985. Any comments on the future of the project, or queries about individual periodical titles can be sent to the author at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, 27-28 Russell Square, London WC1B 5DS.
1 Line, Maurice B., ‘The national supply of serials - centralization versus decentralization’, Serials review, 8(1), Spring 1982, p. 65.Google Scholar
2 Periodicals from Africa: a bibliography and union list of periodicals published in Africa, compiled by Travis, Carole and Alman, Miriam and edited by Travis, Carole. Boston, Mass.: G.K. Hall & Co., 1977. 619p.Google Scholar
Periodicals from Africa: a bibliography and union list of periodicals published in Africa: first supplement, compiled and edited by Blake, David and Travis, Carole. Boston, Mass.: G.K. Hall & Co., 1984. 217p.Google Scholar
The quotation from Donald Simpson appears in his foreword to the main volume, p.v.
3 Reviews of the main volume known to the author appeared in Africa today, vol. 26,1979, p.98 (Nancy J. Schmidt); African research and documentation, no. 14,1977, pp. 31-32 (H.P. White); African research and documentation, no. 15,1977, pp. 12-14 (M.H. Rogers and G.E. Gorman); Afrique contemporaine, no. 107, janv.-fevr. 1980, p. 33 (anonymous); and Research in African literatures, 10(3), 1979, p. 450-452 (Nancy J. Schmidt).
Reviews of the supplement known to the author have appeared in African affairs,84(334), January 1985, p. 148-149 (Ann Thurston); African book publishing record, 11(1), 1985, p.5 (RJ. Townsend); African research and documentation, no.36, 1984, p.33-36 (M. Rogers); and West Africa, no.3517, 21 January 1985, p. 110 (‘P.L.K.’).
4 Travis, Carole, ‘Recording African periodicals’ in Progress in African Bibliography: SCOLMA Conference, Commonwealth Institute, London, 17-18 March 1977:proceedings. London: Standing Conference on Library Materials on Africa, 1977. See also her article ‘SCOLMA and African periodicals’, African research and documentation, no.10,1976, p.11-13.Google Scholar
5 Howell, John B., ‘African newspapers: current sources and retrospective guides’, Serials review, Fall 1984, pp. 45-63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6 Scheven, Yvette, Bibliographies for, African studies 1980-1983. Oxford: Zell, 1984. 300p.Google Scholar
7 Poitelon, Jean-Claude et al, Periodiques malgaches de la Bibliotheque nationale. Paris: Bibliotheque nationale, 1970. 200p.Google Scholar
8 Wood, David N, ‘Acquisition policy and practices at the British Library Lending Division’, Interlending review, 7(4), 1979, p . 118.Google Scholar
9 Witherell, Julian W., ‘Bibliographic control of periodical literature on , Africa: an international.problem’, in The bibliography of Africa: proceedings t and papers of the International Conference on African bibliography, Nairobi, 4-8 December. 1967, edited by J.D. Pearson and Ruth Jo nes. London: Cass, 1970. p. 282.Google Scholar
10 Travis, Carole, 1977 , ibid., p 11.
11 Jean, Whiffen. Union catalogues of serials: guidelines for creation and maintenance, with recommended siandardsfor bibliographic and holdings control. New York: The Haworth Press, 1983. 138p. Has also been published as Serials librarian, 8(1), Fall 1983Google Scholar