Survey on libraries and supermarket tabloids (Lisa Walker) ERCELAA@ctrvax.Vanderbilt.Edu 22 Feb 2001 14:22 UTC
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2001 20:08:20 -0700 From: "Walker, Lisa" <lisaw@MONTANA.EDU> Subject: Survey on libraries and supermarket tabloids ***Please reply directly to Lisa Walker, not to SERIALST. Thanks -- ed. This message contains a survey for serials and collection development librarians as part of a program I will be presenting this April in Philadelphia for the Popular Culture Association's Libraries and Popular Culture Section. The presentation is part of a panel on research and access to "scorned literature," and the title of my talk is "Supermarket Tabloids in Libraries and Research Collections: Can They Be Found?" I'm attempting to find out more about libraries that collect American supermarket tabloids - titles such as the National Enquirer, Weekly World News, Globe, Examiner, Midnight, and Star. An OCLC search for these titles shows surprisingly few holdings, and the situation seems not to have changed much since Rebecca Sturm Kelm published several articles on this topic approximately 10 years ago. I will also be sending out paper copies of my survey to libraries that list tabloid holdings on OCLC, but I am aware that there may be others lurking out there that do collect tabloids but don't post the holdings. The following survey is my unscientific attempt to try to get some feedback on who collects tabloids, why they collect them, and how they are handled by the libraries that purchase them. I am also interested in any responses from librarians on why they would NOT consider tabloids for their collection, as well as any anecdotes relating to efforts to get tabloids into libraries or to keep them out. If anyone would like to respond to the survey, please send your responses to me off-list. If enough people are interested, I'd be happy to summarize the findings for the list. And I will also understand if someone wishes that their name NOT be used (if this is the case, please tell me). So, without further ado, here is the survey: 1. Does your library currently collect any of the major U.S. supermarket tabloids (National Enquirer, Star, Globe, Examiner, Midnight, Weekly World News)? If so, for how long have these items been collected? 2. Has your library ever collected any of these publications in the past? (If you answered "no" to both these questions, please skip to question 13) 3. Does your library keep back issues of these publications, and if so, how are they handled (binding, etc.)? 4. Does your library circulate these publications? 5. Are these items cataloged? 6. Are any efforts made to preserve these publications? 7. Have you ever encountered opposition to the use of funds to buy these publications? 8. How do you feel that these publications serve your users? 9. Have you had much user response (good, bad, or otherwise) to collecting these tabloids? 10. Why does your library collect this particular tabloid (or tabloids)? 10. Do your tabloids receive much use by researchers as opposed to recreational readers? 10. Do you have much trouble with loss and mutilation of these items? 10. Would you support efforts to index or otherwise provide more bibliographic access to the tabloids? 10. Do you think tabloids can be justified as part of the collection for your particular type of library (academic, public, etc.) or for any kind of library? 10. Do you know of any other libraries that collect tabloids (including those that do not publicly announce them as part of their holdings)? Thanks in advance for your participation. Please feel free to send me your comments on this issue, and I will try to summarize the findings as best I can. Thanks - Lisa Walker Lisa Walker Catalog Librarian/Serials Cataloger Montana State University-Bozeman P.O. Box 173320 Bozeman, MT 59717-3320 Email: lisaw@montana.edu Voice: 406-556-8227 FAX: 406-994-2851