Date: Sat, 5 Jun 2004 10:34:34 +0530
From: Subbiah Arunachalam
For librarians of large libraries with budget constraints, here is
Michelle Wilde : mwilde@manta.colostate.edu
Halcyon R. Enssle : henssle@manta.colostate.edu
TITLE So you have to cancel journals? Statistics that help
AUTHOR Enssle HR, Wilde ML
JOURNAL LIBRARY COLLECTIONS ACQUISITIONS & TECHNICAL SERVICES 26 (3):
259-281 FAL 2002
Document type: Article
Abstract: Few libraries have been immune to the impact of inflation on
journal prices, and many have been involved in extensive journal
cancellation projects. To aid in the cancellation decision process, Colorado
State University Libraries have been compiling internal statistics on
journal usage and merging them with statistics from commercial sources. This
paper describes the process and outlines how the collected data can be used
both to identify journals for cancellation and to provide justification for
these decisions to the campus community. As the inflation rate of journals
has outstripped many library budgets, cancellation projects have become a
routine part of library collection management for universities. These
projects are extremely difficult since decisions have serious implications
for the collection and library relations with the academic departments.
Deciding which journals should be canceled becomes a serious and frustrating
task. Statistical information about a library collection can be a valuable
tool in both identifying journals for cancellation and justifying
cancellation decisions. The Colorado State University Libraries (CSUL) have
been collecting a variety of statistics about the periodicals collection for
several years. This article will discuss how these statistics were used in a
recent cancellation project.
(C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
KeyWords Plus: RESEARCH-LIBRARIES, PHYSICS JOURNALS, CITATION-REPORTS,
SERIALS, IMPACT, COST
Addresses: Wilde ML, Colorado State Univ Lib, Morgan Lib, Room 157, Ft
Collins, CO 80523 USA Colorado State Univ Lib, Morgan Lib, Ft Collins, CO
80523 USA
Publisher: PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD, THE BOULEVARD, LANGFORD LANE,
KIDLINGTON, OXFORD OX5 1GB, ENGLAND
