We have extensive use statistics for our print journals, but the first place we started was with JSTOR journals, any of our print journals covered by JSTOR being weeded. It was difficult to do at first, so we waited some years until we fairly certain JSTOR wasn’t going anywhere, and when we finally did it last summer it was painless.

 

From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of Diane Westerfield
Sent: Friday, May 11, 2012 2:02 PM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: [SERIALST] Identifying journal titles for long-term storage?

 

Hi,

 

Our library has the opportunity to place some materials in long-term storage in PASCAL (see http://pascal.ucdenver.edu/).  The facility has staff who can respond to interlibrary loan requests, so our patrons would still be able to get articles.  PASCAL is climate-controlled, and the cost to store materials there is reasonable.

 

Since our bound periodical section is filling up, and we need to carve out more study space, it seems like a good idea to put some journal runs in PASCAL.  We do conduct JSTOR withdrawal projects every other year, but JSTOR withdrawals are no longer keeping up with our space demands.

 

Has anybody conducted a project to identify print journal titles for storage?  Any tips to share?  We don’t maintain usage statistics for print periodicals, so we can’t use that metric.

 

Of course, no art titles will be sent into storage.  I am thinking we’ll keep popular magazines that students are often assigned to look at quickly (Life, Newsweek, Time), the old periodicals that are used by history classes (Harper’s Weekly), and particularly important journals (Nature, Economist). As to electronic coverage, I’m thinking this could be a way to move some aggregator-covered titles that we otherwise would have to retain.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Diane Westerfield, Electronic Resources & Serials Librarian

Tutt Library, Colorado College

diane.westerfield@coloradocollege.edu

(719) 389-6661

(719) 389-6082 (fax)

 

 

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