Re: Library Holdings vs Full-text Databases (David Goodman) ERCELAA@ctrvax.Vanderbilt.Edu 06 Dec 2000 15:21 UTC

Date: Tue, 05 Dec 2000 21:46:38 -0500
From: David Goodman <dgoodman@PHOENIX.PRINCETON.EDU>
Subject: Re: Library Holdings vs Full-text Databases (Simone Yu)

Yes, it does depend on the mission of the library and
the subject. I would regard your policy as perfectly appropriate to a
special library in a corporation or an undergraduate business trade
school. But I ask you, if libraries like Stanford do not
take responsibility for maintaining permanent files of these non-scholarly
titles, what
libraries do you expect would do it?  They will be of permanent historical
interest in many areas and across many disciplines.

I am not necessarily saying you in particular should do it, but that the
profession needs appropriate organization and acceptance of the
responsibilities, and I think the appropriate professional group to
undertake it is librarians, not publishers.

David Goodman, Princeton University
Biology Library
dgoodman@princeton.edu            609-258-3235

> Date: Tue, 05 Dec 2000 14:08:10 -0800
> From: "Yu, Simone" <Yu_Simone@GSB.STANFORD.EDU>
> Subject: Re: Library Holdings vs Full-text Databases (David Goodman)
>
> Perhaps depending on the discipline you are in and the usage of the
> journals, you may feel confident or more comfortable in canceling print
> subscriptions.  We are a business library and we have cancelled most trade
> journals that are full-text in Dow Jones Interactive, and in most cases,
> they are also full-text in ABI/Inform (Proquest Direct), in Academic
> Universe (Lexis/Nexis), and many other packages.  Proquest includes tables,
> charts, and graphs for trade journals, and DJI includes tables.  Also, most
> business libraries subscribe to TableBase which duplicates most tables in
> journals, investment research reports, government publications, etc.  For
> business information, trade journal is one of many types of publication to
> obtain industry/trade information.  Researchers in business typically rely
> heavily on numerical historical data sets and/or management journals or
> journals in other disciplines in the social sciences, i.e. they seldom quote
> trade journals.
>
> For popular titles such as Fortune, Forbes, Business Week, etc. that are
> omnipresent and in multiple formats (print, electronic, microfiche/film) for
> every library, corporation, institution, and all over the world, we have
> stopped binding them.
>
> So, relying on the fact that we will always have DJI, ABI, some form of
> Lexis/Nexis, TableBase, and document delivery, we are aggressively canceling
> trade journal subscriptions.
>
> Most important of all, most business people need trade publications for
> current information and not for historical narratives.
>
> Other options are outsourcing, document delivery service, interlibrary loan,
> and consortia agreements.
>
> Let's also hope that another institution, following JSTOR, Project Muse,
> IDEAL, HighWire Press, will take on the responsibility of archiving more
> scholarly management journals.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Simone Yu
> Asst Bibliographer/Research Librarian
> J Hugh Jackson Library
> Graduate School of Business
> Stanford University
> simoneyu@gsb.stanford.edu
>
> -----Original Message-----
> >
> > Date: Tue, 05 Dec 2000 11:28:27 -0500
> > From: Judy McConnell <jmcconne@PCT.EDU>
> > Subject: Library Holdings vs Full-text Databases
> >
> > Greetings,
> >
> > First of all let me thank all of you who responded to my query on
> > "Compact Shelving"  - appreciated your time and feedback.
> >
> > Now I would like to know if any one has created a Policy for
> > maintaining current titles (both paper and/or microfilm) that are also
> > in a full-text database?
> >
> > We subscribe to Proquest Direct and have dropped a few of our current
> > subscriptions for titles in full-text and have continued to purchase
> > microfilm.
> >
> > As our library is now experiencing space and budget constraints, we
> > want to develop a policy for maintaining or discontinuing the purchase
> > of duplicate (and sometimes triplicate) subscriptions for titles in
> > full-text.  I think that we are not quite comfortable yet in
> > relinquishing our control and yet it maybe time to "just do it".
> >
> > I would be interested in what others have done, and what problems or
> > advantages or disadvantages they have experienced.
> >
> > Thanks in Advance,
> > Judy McConnell
> >
> > Judy F. McConnell
> > Assistant Professor
> > Serials Librarian
> > Penn College Library DIF #69
> > One College Avenue
> > Williamsport, PA 17701-5799
> > Phone: 570-320-2400  X7458
> > Fax: 570-327-4503
> > E-mail: jmcconne@pct.edu
>