Serials receipts decentralization for two branch campus libraries at the University of Washington

During 1996, staff at the University of Washington Libraries, a large research library, undertook a project to decentralize serials receipts for two branch campus libraries. This article examines the rationale for decentralization, the planning involved, and how the project was implemented, including follow-up. It details the project’s outcomes and discusses various problems encountered and the impact of the changes on branch campus and central library staff. The authors include a list of steps for executing a successful decentralization project. The authors conclude with general observations about changing to the practice of receiving serials directly at branch libraries.