How We Add an Electronic Journal or Database to the Collection

Background

Our print periodical subscriptions purchased through EBSCO are renewed in the July-December time frame and are for a calendar year (e.g., 2002, 2003). Approximately 85% of titles are handled through EBSCO. The rest are subscribed to directly from the publisher or small jobbers who handle specialized material such as European non-English language titles. Those titles subscribed to with the publisher are primarily Quaker titles for the Friends Collection.

The process works as follows:

(1) Shirley receives the initial EBSCO list in April-May.
(2) Pay the invoice in July. Between April-May and July we can easily delete titles we want to drop or change from print to on-line. The prices for titles on this April-May list are not always accurate because the publisher has not yet notified EBSCO of the pricing for the next year.
(3) Sometime between July and November our subscriptions are actually renewed with the publisher by EBSCO. After the renewal (which varies from publisher to publisher) the determination if we can cancel a title is with the publisher.

Our current electronic periodical subscriptions come in four categories. All are calendar year subscriptions.

(1) those that are piggy-backed on a print subscription; these are usually available via EBSCO Electronic Journals Service.
(2) those that are purchased from publisher or vendor as an aggregate. Included in this group are titles from:
American Psychological Association
American Chemical Society
Annual Reviews
Atlas (American Theological Library Association Serials)
BioOne
Project MUSE
(3) those that are on-line only through EBSCO:
Royal Chemical Society, London
(4) back files purchased through JSTOR

Periodical indexes:

For periodical indexes the timing is more varied. Most titles begin July 1 of the fiscal year and their renewal has been a point of negotiation for the months February through early June since most titles are purchased through a consortium/buying club arrangement. However some titles have different renewal dates that include April, October, January and others.
As a result decisions about indexes come at a variety of times. A decision to add an index should be made preliminarily in the September – December timeframe as part of the budget building process for the next fiscal year.

I. Criteria for adding to the collection

A.) The title must

  1. Support the academic program.
  2. Be available via campus-wide IP address recognition, not by means of username and password or workstation-specific IP addresses.

B.) There should be creditable evidence the title has some permanence and access will be reliable.

C.) Titles to which the libraries currently subscribe in print are high priorities that we should actively seek out according to the following criteria:

  1. Opportunity arises from publisher or consortium
  2. Faculty, Department, or Program makes a request
  3. Need to save money or space

D.) Decisions about converting a dual subscription, print and on-line, to on-line only should be based on the criteria B and C above.

II. Additional information needed to consider titles:

A.) Statement of current status of subscription, e.g., format, cost, source

B.) Statement of proposed change, e.g., drop print and get on-line only, add on-line to print subscription. In all cases the cost implications and license agreement conditions should be explained. In the latter “Is the issue of “ownership” and long-term viability of the back file addressed?” “How reliable is the commitment to archive?”

III. Decision timetable.

Based on the annual flow of work outlined on page, it would appear that we should focus our changes so they are activated in the following calendar year. Furthermore it appears that the deadline for such changes should be September 1 (i.e., decisions by September 1, 2002 for the calendar year 2003). However there are announcements being made about changes in availability of electronic titles throughout the year. Those announcements should be gathered for “quarterly” decisions in December (i.e., January 1) and March (April 1), in addition to the September 1 deadline, if they are relatively simple additions of on-line to print or the addition of titles to existing combos.

IV. Information required after decision to add has been made:

  • A. Name of requestor
  • B. Title of journal
  • C. ISSN
  • D. Web address of electronic version
  • E. Mailing label of print version, if the Libraries currently subscribe to the title

V. Who Does What?

Reference librarian consults with department/faculty when making additions or changes to journal subscriptions and form of access

Shirely Smith investigates the online availability of the title and if available, finds the web address of electronic version and the information about activating an online subscription (listed in sections I and II above.

Shirley Smith, in consultation with a Reference librarian, makes cost/space comparisons between current print subscription and proposed addition or substitution of online

Reference librarian provides details to department/faculty and asks for their input

Reference staff makes the decision of whether to add a new title, add online to a print subscription, or convert an existing print subscription to online

VI. Electronic Journal Processing Workflow

(PENDING REVISION)

Electronic Journal Withdrawal

I. Criteria for withdrawing from the collection:

  • A. The title ceases publication
  • B. The title is no longer affordable
  • C. The title no longer has priority in supporting our curriculum
  • D. The title is no longer available via campus-wide IP address recognition

II. Electronic Journal Withdrawal Workflow

(PENDING REVISION)