How Diverse Librarians Increased Access to Electronic Journals, Developed a Print/Electronic Collection Development Policy and Preserved the Collection

Authors

Kathe Obrig, George Washington UniversityFollow
Patricia Wilson, George Washington UniversityFollow
Cynthia Swope, George Washington University
Laura E. Abate, George Washington UniversityFollow
Anne Linton, George Washington University

Document Type

Presentation

Keywords

Collection Development; Electronic Journals; Print Journals; Serials; Collection Management; Periodicals

Publication Date

5-2005

Abstract

This poster reports on a project initiated to establish a framework for evaluating our serials collection in order to preserve the collection from a flat budget and ever increasing serial costs and to meet patron demand for expanded access to electronic resources. An additional outcome was the development of a combined print and electronic serials collection development policy. A Journals Committee was formed to assess the value and most appropriate format(s) of individual journal titles. Methods used included a mathematical formula calculating a title's relative value and a faculty survey soliciting most-used titles and preferred format. Faculty department heads were asked to evaluate holdings in their subject specialty. Faculty publication patterns, usage statistics, and interlibrary loan (ILL) data were examined. Information was weighted and used to develop an assessment tool to establish a title's value. The results of this methodology were applied to the 2005 serials renewal process.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.

Comments

Delivered at: Medical Library Association Annual Meeting, May 2005.