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Serial Deselection & Full-Text Databases (Rosalind Tedford) Ann Ercelawn 08 May 1997 13:33 UTC

Date: Thu, 08 May 1997 08:55:15 -0400
From: Rosalind Tedford <Rosalind_L_Tedford@MTA.WFU.EDU>
Subject: Belated Response: Serial Deselction & Full-Text Databases

Hello everyone -

Sorry it has taken me so long to respond to the list about my inquiry
regarding whether any libraries are cancelling subscriptions to periodicals
contained in full-text electronic databases. Most of my responses came from
people who were also curious about what I found out. I have compiled the
responses below, but am also placing my paper up on the WWW for anyone who
is interested. There hasn't been a great deal of discussion of the topic in
the literature, but there are a couple of items of interest. My
bibliography is included in the paper. Thanks again for all of your
assistance and I suspect it is a topic which will continue to be discussed.
If you have questions, email me directly as I am signing off the list while
on vacation and may not resubscribe for a while! My paper will be available
at the following URL:

http://www.wfu.edu/~tedforl9/library.htm

Summary of responses:

Our library has taken a proactive role in deselecting print subscriptions
where the electronic version is available.
We have recently started a subscription to the Project Muse database, and
have cancelled the print subscriptions
for the titles that we have taken in the past (some for 20 years!).  The
main reason for cancelling these titles is that
we cannot afford the added cost of the print subscription + binding + shelf
 space.  We have also done the same for
the American Mathematical Society titles, SIAM Journals, and Journal of
Biological Chemistry.

We feel that we are taking some pretty significant risks by subscribing
only to the print version, including assumptions that everyone has access
to these journals anytime that they want from anywhere (Of course, this is
not the case.)  The type of software to access the articles (Acrobat,
postscript, etc.) must also be made available to our patrons. Also, if we
decide to drop our subscription in 10 years, we may lose access to any
retrospective holdings that were available electronically. Finally, we will
have to take the time and effort to train our patrons in accessing the
journals online, as well as teach ourselves about each database (The ins
and outs of accessing the articles vary widely).  At this point in time, we
are still new in accessing e-journals, but have generated a lot of
excitement and enthusiasm about the journals.

Hope that this helps.

Mark McCallon
Abilene Christian University
markm@alcon.alc.org

******

We are not yet deselecting print journals because of e versions, but we
will need to do so once we stabilize the e environment & have better links
to indexing.  In that case, I will encourage cancellation of all print
duplicates for reasons or money & space.

tom izbicki, collection development coordinator
Eisenhower Library, JHU

***
This looks like material for a good publication.  We know we'll
have to come to grips with this in the next couple of years, but
so far have done no more than quit binding a couple of our most
marginal journals that are in Project Muse.  It's hard to make that
big leap!  I'm responding from a liberal arts college with an
enrollment of about 1,500 students.  Will be interested in learning
what you find out!

Carolyn Gaswick
cgaswick@albion.edu

***
Briefly, we have mixed views on this.  Some collection development folks
are leery of cancelling paper, since there is no guarantee that some of
these full text databases will continue to include a particular title.
Others are fully ready to unload the cost of a paper subscription.

In one case, a bibliographer ordered microfiche as an archival copy for
something we would also have electronic access to.  In some cases, we have
reduced the number of copies of a particular title across the campus
libraries (eg, Time, US News, Wall St Journal).

As far as I know we have no written policy to cover this circumstance.
For now it's been pretty much up to each library (we have 6 major units)
and the individual bibliographer.

###########################################################################
#
Susan Davis
Head, Periodicals
Central Technical Services
Lockwood Library Bldg.
Buffalo, NY  14260-2200
(716) 645-2784
(716) 645-5955 fax
unlsdb@acsu.buffalo.edu

***
In my short 3 years here, we have cancelled a few print
subscriptions.  Some were Wilson indexes that were little used
because of ProQuest on CD-ROM (although we are now going to
EbscoHost) and some indexes that have low usage and now have an
electronic equivalent.  For example, we just cancelled our Music
Index because RILM is now on FirstSearch.

We cancelled some print titles that we were receiving in fiche as
well.  We selected print titles that were available on ProQuest so
that the students would still have timely access, but retain the most
important titles on fiche for now.

> 1. What goes into making the decision to deselect - money, space, usage,
> indexing.

All of the above went into the decision-making process and
additionally the timeliness of the delivery.  Some  titles have a
contractual delay before they are available (via ProQuest at least --
up to 18 months! I think).

> 2. Have your written collection development policies been updated to
> reflect this process? (I would be especially grateful for any reference
to > collection development policies up on the WWW or where I could read a
copy > of the deselection policy!)

We have talked about doing this, but we are small and are in the
midst of conversion to Sirsi, so we haven't gotten around to it yet.
We are also just building our website.

=========================================

Lauren Corbett
Collection Management Librarian
Everett Library,  Queens College
Charlotte, NC

***
Rosalind,
  Villanova University has not taken a definitive stand on retaining paper
when there is an electronic version available.  We have a division of
opinion.
  My personal thoughts are that electronic versions are not yet the
official versions of journals, and the paper editions usually include
additional material not found in the electronic.  Furthermore, I feel that
publishers are testing the market.  When they have the potential subscriber
base to support electronic only, they will or may drop the paper.  That
leaves us in the undesirable situation of supporting two formats for some
titles, but that is the nature of a transition period.
  I would not be too quick to abandon paper.  Many of our users are not
ready to accept electronic versions yet.

Dennis Lambert
Head, Collection Dev./Mgmt.
Falvey Mem. Library
Villanova Univ.
(610) 519-7966
Lambert@ucis.vill.edu

***