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 >