Periodicals - New Subscriptions

In determining the addition of a new periodical subscription to the library collection, LIS seeks to balance budgetary realities, continuing high rates of inflation in subscription costs, and curricular needs of Saint Michael's College programs.

Unlike a monograph purchase, a periodical subscription represents a long-term institutional and financial commitment on the part of the Library.  In addition, advances in interlibrary loan and document delivery, the emerging availability of serial titles in electronic formats, and the availability of periodical content through aggregrated databases create a special set of challenges for the serials decision-making process.

The decision to initiate or renew a subscription is a planning decision that requires the careful weighing of projected costs against the projected educational value of a title over the long term, and is made within a wider context of access options. It is with this decision-making framework in mind that the goals and guidelines that follow have been developed.

Guidelines for Evaluating New and Continuing Periodical Subscriptions
The Serials Management Committee[1] will make the final decision on placing all new subscription orders.

In general, if a discipline-specific new title is ordered, it is necessary to cancel one or more current subscriptions equivalent in cost to each new title ordered.  LIS uses a modified quantitative formula (factoring undergraduate and graduate credit hours, costs of journals by discipline, and number of majors and faculty in a department) to identify subject areas that may be underserved by current subscription spending.  If new money becomes available for discipline-specific titles, those subject areas which have been identified as priorities for new subscriptions will receive priority.

A. Educational Value. Factors for determining educational value of these materials in all forms should include:

1. Scope
Subscription titles should reflect areas of study relevant to directed student research and instructional assignments, facilitate independent faculty and student research, or have important educational value for the community in general.


2. Quality
Important considerations for evaluating quality include whether a title is an academically or culturally acknowledged forum of discourse for a specific field of study, whether it provides essential data for a field, whether it provides accurate information, and whether it reflects current trends. Publication history and editorial methodology should also be considered.

3. Demand
Materials should be accessible through standard indexing and abstracting services. The audience for the title should not be limited to academic specialists in a highly restricted field, unless faculty use or assign reading from the title often enough to warrant subscription. Priority should be given to titles that are repeatedly asked for by students or faculty, or where demand is indicated by inter-library loan or reserve histories. Frequency of citation may also be considered as a means for measuring potential demand.

B. Other Factors

Format:
In general, archived electronic formats are preferred over print formats.

Duplication:
Preference is given to new title request not duplicated through current LIS subscriptions to aggregated databases.

C. Cost:

Because inflation rates for periodicals far exceed average annual rates of inflation, cost shall be an essential consideration in the evaluation of all titles, especially in the context of the availability of other forms of access. The instructional and research value of a periodical subscription must be measured against the projected dollar cost of the item to the College as a long-term commitment.

Procedures for selecting discipline-specific titles
New subscriptions in a subject area can be proposed by students, faculty or the subject liaison librarian.  The requestor consults with the Associate Director for Collection Services or the assigned liaison librarian.  The Serials Management Committee will work with the subject department to assure consensus and determine the need for cancellation of titles of similar value.

Procedures for selecting interdisciplinary titles
Titles may be nominated for subscription on the library general fund by students, faculty, or library staff.  The requestor consults with the Associate Director for Collection Services who consults with the Serials Management Committee.

[1] Comprised of Senior Periodicals Specialist, Director of LIS (or designee), Associate Director for Collection Services

This policy is based on similar policies of Vassar College and Oberlin College

Maintained by:  Tina M. Ryan