Book excerpt: Here is an account of the development of serials management in a variety of Australian and New Zealand Libraries. Serials Management in Australia and New Zealand provides an in-depth look at the unique issues involved in managing serials in a wide range of libraries in Australia and New Zealand including the National Library of Australia, university libraries, state libraries, and special libraries. In this part of the globe, access to the full range of tools and techniques available combined with the rising costs of serials and the great distance from the publishing centers of the world have contributed to the unique development of serials librarianship in Australasia. This remarkable volume reflects on the variety of excellence of serials librarianship in Australia and New Zealand and heralds the arrival of electronic information technology as a time of transition and opportunity. More than observations of automated and manual approaches to the management of serials, this fascinating book provides librarians and serials specialists with practical approaches to the real issues they face in their own libraries. Serials Management in Australia and New Zealand provides enlightening observations of how different libraries use automation in serials management, the role of use studies in serials management, and the use of serials technology such as online contents pages, full-text databases, invoice and accessioning data on magnetic tape and diskette, and direct electronic links to suppliers. Organizational strategies are also explored, including amalgamations libraries from different universities, and the restructuring of serials departments within larger libraries. This invaluable documentation of the variety of approaches to serials management in Australian and New Zealand encourages readers to analyze their own libraries and provides ideas for successful transitions to a future filled with new service possibilities.