Is the term ‘serials’ relevant any longer? Some thoughts on the matter…

Abstract

The authors solicited opinions from eight thought leaders in publishing and librarianship asking them to reflect on the term “serials.” Is this word losing its relevance? The discussion centers around several common themes. The nature of seriality is considered. The de-emphasis of individual journals is recognized. The fact that the word “serial” has mostly been utilized by librarians historically is acknowledged, but even in libraries the word seems to be disappearing from job titles and workflows. Technical use of the term is still evident, but will another term take its place as publication formats continue to change? The authors conclude that the word still has meaning but its future is uncertain, since as digital publishing ever increases, new terminology inevitably becomes more prevalent. The word is on its way to obsolescence because the word is more associated with traditional paper publications that are also on their way to obsolescence. There is a new online information ecosystem of article databases, mega-journals, blogs, podcasts, and social media that is phasing out both the name and the things it names.