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This article proposes a methodology for systematically assessing the cost of journal subscriptions. The authors of the paper (hereafter "the researchers") established ratios comparing the list costs of journal articles as advertised by publishers against the cost per article of journal articles available in aggregated collections in library databases (hereafter "aggregating databases"). The researchers propose that the ratios can be used by libraries wishing to apply a standard methodology for assessing journal packages containing full-text articles. The study may be helpful for those librarians who seek to supplement qualitative information and other quantitative data, such as usage statistics, in order to demonstrate the library's rationale for providing journal access either by purchasing articles directly from a publisher as needed or by continuing to subscribe to an aggregating database. The aggregating databases reviewed in this study included representative aggregating databases commonly associated with the following fields of study: Social Sciences, Humanities, and Health Sciences; however, the methodology described in this article could be applied to other disciplines as well. The results of the study indicated that the ratios for Mean Cost/Package Subscription Price (MC/PSP), Median Cost/Package Subscription Price (MED/PSP) could be used in evaluating journal collections. The researchers suggest that future studies should be conducted to assess resource sharing and the availability of open access resource versions of articles as possible contributing factors to the purchase decisions associated with scholarly journal articles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presenting Open Access (OA) resources alongside licensed content provides many benefits to librarians, vendors, publishers, and library patrons. However, the tools and collection development practices designed to work with traditionally acquired materials often pose challenges for freely available resources. This paper will address managing open content library collections, and offer an assessment of current delivery models and opportunities for upgrading delivery in the future, including: How to integrate open content into collection development strategies; How to improve the data around open content; How MARC record changes will impact the way users find and access open content; and How library service providers are improving the OA user experience. This paper conveys valuable, up-to-date knowledge of today's OA landscape, and outlines best practices for integrating OA content into library collection development strategies. Related needs, like configuring metadata to maximize visibility of OA content and partnering with publishers and library service providers, are also addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Availability studies are used to estimate the proportion of items in a library collection that are available to users, and the proportion of items in a library collection that are unavailable to users as a result of system and/or human errors. Sanjeet Mann of the Armacost Library at the University of Redlands used a series of availability studies to more accurately understand and troubleshoot the e-resources access errors that keep undergraduate students at the university from obtaining the full text of electronic resources. In this presentation, Mann shared the details of his process, his results, and the implications of those results for improving local search systems as well as a conceptual model of e-resource availability errors based on the results of his research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Access denied turnaway statistics are provided to libraries to help with serials collection development, but very little research about turnaways is available. This article examines the relationship between access denied turnaways and interlibrary loan (ILL) requests at one institution in an attempt to deepen our understanding of turnaways. The study showed that there is a moderate correlation with an overall ILL requests to turnaways ratio of 11.4%. The strength of the relationship and the ILL requests to turnaways ratio do vary depending on the publisher/provider. The article also discusses potential explanations and implications as related to the relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article delves into the complex and inseparable relationship between collection development in libraries and the interconnected factors of privacy, censorship, and government influence. Libraries, as guardians of information and knowledge, constantly strive to update their collections to meet the diverse needs of patrons. However, in doing so, they face intricate challenges that extend beyond merely acquiring materials. This article aims to shed light on the pivotal role librarians play in collection development. It highlights the need for librarians to consider a wide range of factors, both internal and external, before making informed decisions about their collections. By understanding the multifaceted nature of their responsibilities, librarians can better serve their communities and maintain libraries as vital centers for knowledge dissemination. This article ultimately offers insights that can contribute to the enhancement of collection development practices, ensuring libraries remain adaptive, inclusive, and conducive to the pursuit of knowledge in an ever-changing world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 pandemic has a significant impact on individual and social activities, at the beginning of 2020, this pandemic led to the closure of social activities. After that, with the limited resumption of these activities, the activities of many social institutions took on different forms. Among these social institutions, we can mention the libraries that were closed in the first few months of Pandemic and continued their cultural activities through cyberspace, and now serve a small percentage of their users to maintain the health of members. In this regard, the National Library and Archives of Iran (NLAI), according to its duties and missions, has taken effective steps in developing strategies to increase the level of services and optimize services by using new technologies. One of the duties of the National Library is to distribute and make available information to all users. The NLAI, with the slogan “National Memory in the Home of Every Iranian,” has placed a part of its digital resources on the library’s website for public access to these resources. These services include “Iranian National Memory System,” “Iranian Periodicals System,” “Digital Children’s Library” and “Digital Library.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the fall of 2018, Penn State Libraries took the first step in responding to a library committee recommendation to rightsize the collection at the University Park campus in preparation for renovations taking place over the next four to five years. A collaborative weeding project involving items with Z LoC classification began in an effort to establish criteria and processes that could pave the way for future weeding projects and processes for weeding on an ongoing basis. This article explores Penn State Libraries' effort to engage in a collaborative weeding project focused on a collection that has great relevance to the profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the process of transforming the Arkansas Periodical Index, which began as a card file index in the University of Arkansas (U. of A.) Libraries, to an online database. As in many other states, in-house indexes were compiled to cover local history journals and subject-related magazines. A variety of software now exists to mount locally created databases, one option being the choice to use the same turnkey software that runs the library's online catalog. We began by converting our card files to a local Inmagic DB/Textworks database. The U. of A. received the 1991 Gale Research Award for Excellence in Reference and Adult Library Services for that design. We later mapped the database structure to MARC fields and mounted it as a Web-accessible database through our library OPAC vendor, Innovative Interfaces, Inc. (III). The authors begin with a brief history of periodical indexing, the reasons for choosing MARC formatting, and the field mapping required. The article explains the development of the database to include other publication formats, such as material from biographical compendiums, newspaper indexing, and university publications. The mapping incorporates indexing several publication formats in the same database. It also provides fields for linking citations back to the OPAC records, where users may find call numbers for journals or books, be connected to the full text of articles when available, or to an association's own website when applicable. We address some of the concerns for libraries in developing indexing projects. The article offers a mapping table of migrated fields that can be used by others wanting to encourage the rediscovery of local print periodicals and to expand access to the various materials otherwise buried in the library's special collections. The Arkansas Publications Index was released in April 2005 and is available free at http://arkindex.uark.edu/. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An overview and analysis of the Journal Citation Reports' impact factor is provided here. The historical development, calculation of, and alternatives to impact factor are briefly described. Nine general uses of impact factor, including library collection management decisions, journal rankings, journal decision models, and full-text database evaluation, are discussed. Ten benefits, such as its well-established authority, are listed. Finally, more than a dozen criticisms of citation data in general (e.g., self-citations are counted) and impact factor specifically (e.g., problems with the formula for its calculation) are analyzed. The author concludes that impact factor, if used appropriately and in combination with other criteria, is a valid tool that can assist journal collection management decisions in research libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grey literature is of inestimable value, with the potential for significant contributions to further inquiry and practice especially in academia and national development. Researchers, students, lecturers and scientists, depend on these resources which are often the main sources of indigenous and firsthand information. The challenge is retrieval, since they lack meaningful bibliographic control. They are usually not peer-reviewed and sometimes are of poor quality because they often originate from technocrats, scholars and scientists in various fields. A 2019 survey done in Jamaica with librarians from the Scientific and Technical Information Network (STIN) reveals the low status accorded to grey literature. Participants indicated that there is no active thrust towards advocacy and promotion. However, they recognize their importance and would willingly assist in organizing them. Digitization and archiving in repositories allow for greater accessibility to grey literature in academia. This paper examined the value of grey literature and presented digital accessibility as an infrastructure in overcoming associated challenges. Digitization's value is seen in the regeneration of archiving, the increase in the use of non-circulating resources in special collections such as theses and dissertations, and in the preservation of collections. Digitization offers an online presence which raises awareness of existing collections and builds the image of academic institutions. This paper presents some best practices used in digitization, and key steps in the digitization process. The paper is qualitative and utilizes archival study to showcase the efforts of The University of the West Indies (The UWI) Mona Library in using digital technology to manage grey literature and promote their special collections. The authors concluded that through digitization this Library can act as a driver to galvanize other information units to effect greater bibliographic control. Once these valuable collections become accessible, they can be positioned to contribute to national and international development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Print periodicals have been a cornerstone of libraries for over 100 years. Over the past 20 years print periodicals have been eclipsed by online journal databases and individual e-journals, but most libraries still subscribe to some print journals. In 2019 Tennessee Technological University undertook a thorough study of the usage of the current print periodical subscriptions by attaching survey forms to the covers of recent issues. The results showed that most newspapers and scholarly print periodicals were not used at all and the majority could be cancelled. Popular magazines showed slightly higher usage, but many of them could be dropped as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic resource troubleshooting can feel like extinguishing a fire every day in a library. When a real fire comes along as Kansas State University (K-State) experienced at Hale Library, one learns not to take e-resources–and the fact that they are working–for granted. Regardless of the integrated library system and discovery layer, getting databases and online subscriptions back up is especially critical when physical collections are suddenly inaccessible. Returning to a sense of normalcy involves rethinking priorities, staffing, and the nature of the resources in given circumstances. Earlier in the fall of 2017, the acquisitions unit had begun a study of its Jane Hale ticketing system for e-resource issues and problems. Jane Hale is a not a real person, but rather a persona for a shared email account and workflow used in acquisitions and e-resources management troubleshooting. Prior to the fire, the Jane Hale e-resource ticketing system was staffed with the intention of delivering more timely access to e-resources. The work devoted to improving the e-resources ticketing system yielded many benefits following the fire, not the least being improved internal customer service and processes. The community of vendors, librarians, and patrons demonstrated an outpouring of support and kindness. From this experience, we learned the importance of creating good relationships and fostering a sense of community before access is disrupted. Communication, both internal and external, is also very significant. Disaster response for electronic resources became an effective continuity plan, underscoring the importance of deciding what is essential and how to use communication and other skills to meet the needs of the library community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University Libraries at The University of Alabama implemented EBSCO's Discovery Service (EDS) in 2011. This integration added to the use of EBSCO as our serials vendor and provider for usage data. In August 2017, University Libraries migrated to EBSCO's Full Text Finder from a competing system. Consolidation of these tools under one vendor improved integration and functionality for all of the electronic resources holdings and access management. Following the successful migration to Full Text Finder, the oversight of EBSCO's Discovery System management was assigned to staff responsible for electronic resources allowing for the benefits of having administrative control of both Full Text Finder and EBSCO's Discovery System under one manager. The following presents the experience of moving to Full Text Finder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to investigate Social Science academics' scholarly use of information sources with particular focus on use patterns of e-journals. In this quantitative study, a questionnaire was distributed to 228 faculty members of various disciplines, that include the faculty of Social Sciences, Economics and Management Sciences, Education, Law and Commerce in University of the Punjab, Lahore Pakistan. Out of 228 participants, 118 respondents returned the questionnaire and the response rate of the survey was 52%. The results of the study showed that most of the faculty from the Social Science disciplines used e-journals, online reference sources, e-reports and print information sources to meet their academic and research needs. The least used sources were e-books, online indexing and abstracting services and e-theses. They accessed articles through General search engines, Google Scholar and Open Access e-journal websites more than subscribed sources of e-journals. They identified e-journal articles through chaining, searching and browsing method. Previous researchers also conducted studies to examine the Social Science faculty scholarly use of information sources and information-seeking habits; however, there were few studies examining Social Scientists use patterns of e-journals. In this backdrop, this study fills the gap by examining Social Science faculty patterns of using e-journals in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article uncovers the problems encountered by libraries when Internet Protocol (IP) ranges change at institutions with or without notice to library and research centers. This article provides practical tips for preparation and overcoming challenges that often occur when IP ranges change at an institution. Possible solutions, such as a recovery plan, which can be used to manage and communicate the whole process strategically to stakeholders, are also discussed. This research article covers two typical scenarios where entire IP ranges are replaced in an institution and a second scenario where additional IPs get added to an existing range at institutions with or without notice to libraries and restoring the access for e-resources in both scenarios at a fast pace. Based on the lessons learned and knowledge sharing with the e-resource librarian community, the article recommends best practices and strategies to keep the transition period the least disruptive to all library stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes two projects at The College of New Jersey Library that used statistical methods and the programming language R to analyze electronic usage data. Project one utilized simple linear regression to model the monthly database search and full text usage data of eight years from 2010 to 2017. In project two, Pearson correlation was applied to analyzing the relationship between the journal's impact factor and the journal's full text downloads. It was found that there is a moderate positive relationship between these two variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an organization with a decentralized collection development structure, it can be difficult for selectors to find correct and detailed information at the point of need when engaging in collection development. Institutional knowledge is not always easily shared with others due to the lack of an effective conduit. Simply knowing what is happening and what has happened with purchases, licensing, vendor negotiations, budget planning, and policy creation can be a challenge for those who have not been directly involved. This presentation detailed the speaker's experience in a new collections role at Penn State University Libraries, where she methodically gathered the information that exists on shared drives, in file cabinets, in dark corners of the intranet, and in the brains of faculty and staff that have worked at the library for many years, and then made it available to selectors in a meaningful way. The presentation discussed projects such as compiling information about annual e-book packages and e-journal backfiles, as well as Penn State University Libraries' management of theses and dissertations. How those projects were identified and prioritized, as well as the process for compiling that information and making it available, was also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In late 2013, Hesburgh Libraries at the University of Notre Dame embarked on an audacious journey to renovate its iconic fourteen-story building. Driven by an immediate pressing need to reduce the footprint of physical collections in the library, a massive project commenced in the fall of 2014 to prepare approximately one million volumes for transfer to an off-site high-density mobile shelving storage facility. The project was carried out in two large phases that involved coordination of work and schedules between the renovation committee, vendors, and multiple library teams, including the Collections Preparation Team that was responsible for ensuring that all items moving off-site had accurate catalog records and were barcoded. This article provides background information about putting the project together and describes how the work to prepare titles for transfer was organized and completed under a very short deadline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Making collections decisions within the constraints of shrinking budgets and an ever-expanding universe of materials has today’s academic libraries searching for strategic ways to manage resources. In this environment it is vital that libraries clearly communicate to a wide range of stakeholders, including parent institutions and funding bodies, the distinct value of collections. Ensuring that data-informed analysis directly links collections decisions to the priorities of the institution and its users is crucial to these efforts. During this session, participants were given a broad overview of the current collections assessment landscape; hands-on exercises for mapping assessment goals to available data sources and tools; an overview of project management approaches; and specific strategies for clearly communicating results of collections analysis to different stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open Access (OA) publications challenge traditional library collections and the result is potentially transformative. The costs of subscriptions will be moved from readers and libraries to authors or be covered by universities, foundations, or other government funders. As a movement, it connects to a much larger cultural narrative and has given the impression of fait accompli. There is still skepticism among individuals involved in academic publishing. Applying the logic of professionalism by Freidson and Abbott, this article suggests that while we may advocate an OA business model to drive down costs, achievement of this model may actually undermine the library profession in the process. To strengthen our professional identity, librarians should embrace our expert role in research practices and broaden our access functions in accord with what users most value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses capabilities of and requirements for working with EZproxy based on many years of experience using the product in academic libraries. The basics of how EZproxy works and essential tips and caveats regarding its management and use are imparted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article broadly reviews the issue of access in special collections and introduces several solutions for improving access to special collections materials. Drawing on literature and specific case studies, the author finds that special collections units have made great progress in making their materials accessible to researchers and users. A variety of access web and digitization technologies are outlined and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the fall of 2015, two librarians at San Diego State University initiated a project to enhance the visibility of some of the library’s numerous electronic resources. Promotional materials were created to highlight some of the main features and functionality of seven specific databases to which the library subscribes. Although there are many factors of this project that warrant further research, the authors can definitively state that usage for six of the seven electronic resources featured in their promotional project did increase when they were advertised to a wider campus population via the library’s website. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The authors present assessment strategies, research results, and decision making in the process of building a website and formalizing management procedures for a library in Kerala, India serving a significant number of deaf students. The strategies include user interviews and developing user experience personas, collecting and incorporating examples from other library sites in building a new website, and communicating new methods of managing and promoting library resources to the university community. The co-presenters encountered difficulties and some resistance regarding their suggestions for changes in the website as well as the public and technical services offered by the library due to differences in infrastructure and expectations in academic culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This conference presentation report introduces the zine collection at the Vassar College Library and describes the research and planning that went into advocating for and building the collection. The discussion addresses several key workflow factors that need to be considered when building a zine collection, including collection development, acquisitions, and cataloging. The report also shares local problems and solutions implemented at Vassar College. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ria Lukes and Angie Thorpe, librarians from Indiana University Kokomo, presented a conference session exploring the use of course syllabi as a core tool for measuring and enhancing library support of curriculum needs and service integration. The researchers described their process and the results from a review of 477 syllabi collected from numerous departments spanning diverse disciplines at their institution. Their findings demonstrate how syllabi may be used to identify collection weaknesses, discover misconceptions about library holdings and services, and ultimately serve as a starting point to interact with faculty and librarians to improve and clarify library holdings, services, and outreach initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on aspects of international serials and electronic resource management. Updates are offered on the awards granted by the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP), the publication of "Output of the NISO Alternative Assessment Project" by the National Information Standards Organization (NISO)," the Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture (AGORA) program, and the 2017 ALPSP conference in Noordwijk, the Netherlands.

Statistical analysis and comparison of library print and online holdings are used to reduce shelf area and inform index back-file purchases. Nikki DeMoville of California Polytechnic State University’s Robert E. Kennedy Library combined Counting Online Usage of Networked Electronic Resources (COUNTER) JR2 Access Denied usage reports, holdings information, and print circulation data to identify journals exhibiting a high desirability for online access and low print circulation. In this presentation, DeMoville shared how further combination of this data with ScienceDirect quote lists for back-file journal packages and Web of Science metrics could be used to support the efficient de-selection of print journals, allowing the library to recover the maximum amount of physical space while also acquiring backfile access to those titles most frequently needed in electronic format. The presentation detailed the workflows and comparative methodology used to reach collection management and development decisions for journal coverage, with an emphasis on before and after metrics. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

There is a growing trend toward a consolidation of services for electronic resources management, A–Z journal listings, full text link resolving, and discovery services under a single service provider. In many cases, the adoption of a discovery service from a provider that is not the same as the libraries’ existing link resolver service means managing multiple knowledgebases. In this session, three librarians gave an overview of their experiences and strategies for maintaining separate link resolving and discovery services in lieu of adopting a full suite of services from a single service provider. Each speaker presented a case study on the advantages and challenges of managing their chosen discovery service: EBSCO Discovery Service, Ex Libris’ Primo and ProQuest’s Summon, in conjunction with the CUFTS/GODOT open source knowledgebase and link resolver service. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This session highlighted trends in continuing resource collections and collection management throughout the 30-year period from 1985 through 2015. Electronic resources became available in the 1990s and grew in prevalence from the 2000s through the present, changing the make-up of library collections and also how libraries measure collections and collection usage. Two librarians and two vendors shared their perspectives on these changes in collection development, describing how library collections now contain a combination of older formats and older ways of collecting data, and new, electronic content and automated ways of collecting and disseminating data about collections. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article highlights aspects of international serials and electronic resource management for the library-oriented organizations, publisher services and library schools. Topics discussed include award presentation at the London Book Fair (LBF), the new elected officers for the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS) and the revision of the recommended formats statement of the Library of Congress.

This investigation sought to develop a broad view of discovery service user behavior by analyzing vendor-provided and Google Analytics usage data from discovery service implementations at two Indiana University campuses. The results of this analysis demonstrate how usage data can communicate both intermediary and end results of user interactions within discovery services. The findings reveal user behavior trends, which may be used to develop strategies to improve information literacy instruction techniques, as well as discovery service interface enhancements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been predicted that by 2016, 9 out of 10 college students will own a smartphone. In order to connect with students where they are most likely beginning their information searches, it is increasingly important for libraries to make their collections discoverable via a mobile platform and to create an effective mobile search environment for library resources. This program highlighted some of the mobile applications available for and in use by libraries, focusing on Murray State University’s implementations of two particular applications, BrowZine and Boopsie. The presentation addressed the institutional needs that led Murray State to the acquisition of these services, the ins and outs of the implementation, challenges involved in the set-up, marketing, and user education, and how the applications were received and used once they were set up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit recently heard a suit brought against the Federal Communications Commission by Verizon concerning the 2010 Open Internet Rules. These rules were meant to protect consumers and ensure net neutrality by Internet service providers (ISPs). The Court struck down these rules, and now ISPs will have more power about how content is delivered to users. Librarians should be knowledgeable of net neutrality and this ruling, as it potentially affects abilities of users to exercise intellectual freedoms and could impact the library’s ability to provide services to its users. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The challenges the cataloger of historical serials faces are many and they come from all aspects of the cataloging process. For those who primarily catalog contemporary materials, these issues can be particularly daunting. The object of this article is to examine some of the more commonly experienced issues with emphasis on how to address them in a practical sense. The article is organized by broad functional categories: types of material, iterations, bibliographic data, and name authority control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The landscapes of libraries’ print collection have changed significantly over the past decades. On an institutional level, libraries need to evaluate available resources, local researchers’ needs, and find the right balance between print and electronic material in order to support parent institutions’ development and growth. On a national level, we have seen different schemes being developed in several countries to support libraries’ activities in a time of change. When more and more libraries are adopting electronic-only policies, what impact does losing print have? This article aims to share United Kingdom (UK) Research Reserve’s experience so far and how the UK Higher Education (HE) sector dealt with challenges and uncertainties through collaboration and partnership. It also explores further opportunities within and beyond the UK borders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Librarians and faculty members are now working together through Open Access (OA) publishing to make faculty-produced scholarly content available to researchers worldwide. The University of South Florida Tampa Library has been working with the Berkeley Electronic Press (bepress) Digital Commons platform to create a substantial institutional repository (IR) that includes OA journals, conference proceedings, and data sets, among other materials. Library staff members are currently involved in a variety of activities, including negotiating memoranda of understanding, loading backfiles, registering Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) with CrossRef, designing layout, doing final publication steps, and assisting with technical issues. In 2011, the IR, Scholar Commons @ USF, went live, allowing the library to pull fragmented collections previously hosted on other platforms into a single system with improved discoverability. This article discusses how the repository was established, what is involved, lessons learned, and plans for future directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As resources have become ever more complicated in a digital world, it is evident that cataloging practices and the metadata standards we use to guide these practices are becoming more constraining. Recent developments within the library community can have a significant impact on serials cataloging and may help improve information retrieval for the end user. While the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) holds some promise for improving the representation of serials, linked data principles may further transform the way in which resources and the relationships between them are captured and presented to our users. By taking description out of the current record constraints, serials librarians will better be able to express the relationships between multiple versions of the same publication, and how a particular journal has changed over time. The linked data model also opens up many opportunities for the provision of value-added content to bibliographic descriptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2008, the University of Southern Indiana began to offer a new Doctor of Nursing Practice program via distance education. For the first three years, two librarians at the David L. Rice Library evaluated how well the library supported the study and research of students enrolled in the program. The research project incorporated multiple methods of assessment, including an examination of usage statistics generated by the electronic resources supporting the program, a student satisfaction survey, a review of the students' use of the library's interlibrary loan and article delivery services, and a citation analysis of the references appended to formal papers submitted as part of the required coursework. A significant amount of data was generated from the four methods used in the research, and the findings based on these data have impacted and will continue to impact the library's support of the program, including instruction, collection development, and expansion of services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years, the University of Mississippi Libraries has purchased eBooks as one-time, perpetual-access collections, individual titles, and as subscription collections. Last year, the Williams Library began a patron-driven, eBook pilot program. Using ebrary's administrative tool, profiles were created to establish two patron-driven eBook collections. The records for these two profiles were then loaded into the library catalog. As patrons triggered a purchase by using an eBook, the order and payment information was recorded and the items were added to the collection. The planning, implementation, and workflow of the patron-driven, eBook pilot program was presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article outlines the workings of the UK Research Reserve, a collaborative initiative releasing space in Higher Education libraries within the United Kingdom, while ensuring the retention and availability of a national print journal collection. The method used to process material and identify holdings suitable for disposal is described. The salient issues in the process are identified and discussed, as are some of the challenges that have been encountered to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on international series and electronic resource management, including information on vendor and publisher services and topics related to library schools and continuing education. The article presents abstracts from several journals including the July 2011 issue of "Serials: The Journal for the Serials Community," the June 2011 issue of "Serials Review." Topics include the awarding of the SAGE travel grant to librarian Patrick Carr to attend the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP) International conference in England on September 14-16, 2011, a basic serials cataloging workshop at Pepperdine University on August 3, 2011, and the New York Public Library's (NYPL) online catalog changes implemented by software company Bibliocommons.

With the advent of e-journal preservation projects and publisher digitization of journal backfiles, academic libraries have begun to move their corresponding print volumes of these titles to storage to avoid duplication and save space. This article examines the supporting justifications, outreach mechanisms, and logistical procedures undertaken at American University Library to relocate the entire bound journal collection to offsite storage in order to address severe physical space constraints and to support patron use of and preference for electronic journal content. In addition, the article presents preliminary data regarding the use of bound volumes sent to storage and an overall analysis of this transformational project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition of serial collections from a paper format to an electronic format has created a syndrome of rising expectations in academia. The speed and convenience of accessing peer-reviewed journal articles at the desktop has led to an increasing demand for more electronic serials. Concurrent with improved access to journal articles via locally owned electronic serials, Interlibrary Loan (ILL) services offered by large academic libraries are now routinely providing electronic versions of scholarly documents to the user's desktop in one or two days. This has created a situation where electronic ownership of a serial is the preferred option but electronic delivery via ILL is a reasonable alternative. Locally held paper serials used to be the best option for users. Now paper serials are increasingly viewed as an inconvenience, creating a 'Paper Divide' between electronic serial ownership and electronic ILL service. Moreover, published reports indicate that electronic serials are less costly to maintain than paper serials. Because of user preference, cost considerations, and space considerations, the move to electronic serials is inevitable. This article explores the implications of the Paper Divide and how academic libraries are coping with this challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cataloging serials in special collections proves to be both a challenge and a delight. Rare, ephemeral, or older serials may contain less descriptive information than is normally found in major current periodicals, making it difficult to record such descriptive information as frequency/regularity of publication and volume designation. But the true challenges in cataloging these materials are often due to their limited and sporadic acquisition, which causes problems in describing the serials and recording holdings, resulting in more time and higher cost per issue cataloged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advantages of bundling e-journals together into publisher collections include increased access to information for the subscribing institution's clients, purchasing cost-effectiveness, and streamlined workflows. Although cataloging a consortial e-journal collection has its advantages, there are also various pitfalls and the author outlines efforts by the CAUL (Council of Australian University Libraries) Consortium libraries to further streamline this process, working in conjunction with major publishers. Despite the advantages that publisher collections provide, pressures to unbundle existing packages continue to build, fueled by an ever-increasing selection of available electronic resources; decreases in, and competing demands on, library budgets; the impact of currency fluctuations; and poor usage for an alarmingly high proportion of collection titles. Consortial perspectives on bundling and unbundling titles are discussed, including options for managing the addition of new titles to the bundle and why customizing consortial collections currently does not work. Unbundling analyses carried out at Queensland University of Technology from 2006 to 2008, prior to the renewal of several major publisher collections, are presented as further case studies that illustrate why the “Big Deal” continues to persist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kenneth Frazier's call for avoiding the “Big Deal,” an aggregation of journals that publishers offer as a one-price, one-size-fits-all package, has won some converts. Concerns exist over the inclusion of titles in aggregated packages that are neither wanted nor used by library patrons and the financial impact those titles are having on library budgets. Most libraries, particularly smaller and medium-sized institutions, perceive great benefit from the aggregated packages. OhioLINK has succeeded in negotiating license agreements that allow for annual reductions by selecting titles in the packages for discontinuation. The Big Deal is continuing to evolve, even as it begins to fade away. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on a survey of U.S. academic libraries that was conducted in the spring of 2008 to determine if and how academic libraries were actively cataloging e-journals in the age of the OpenURL, A-Z journal lists, and the batch loading of purchased MARC records. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The periodical collection at the Press Institute of Mongolia includes rare newspapers documenting political and economic changes in Mongolia in the 1990s. This article describes a two-year digitization project undertaken to preserve endangered Mongolian newspapers and periodicals in the collection and to expand access to them via the Internet. Newspaper digitization poses many challenges due to large format, complex page layout, and poor-quality print. These difficulties are compounded in the development of international digital libraries that use non-Latin characters. Greenstone, an open-source digital library software suite, offers multilingual support and was used to create a digital archive of these rare Mongolian publications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the upcoming years, we anticipate major changes in the realm of library automation. The upheavals have begun, with many different movements challenging the models of library automation that have prevailed for decades. The monolithic integrated library system (ILS) continues to diminish in importance as libraries move toward a transition to a loosely coupled suite of applications. While the ILS continues to play a role, though ever smaller, libraries are making investments in a new generation of automation products, especially next generation interfaces more comprehensive in scope and better equipped to handle full-text electronic content. Electronic resource management (ERM) systems struggle as a genre of automation products designed to handle the specialized task of helping libraries make sense of their explosively growing collections of subscribed electronic content. Sparked by recent industry events, libraries demand openness at a higher level than ever before, expressed through a tsunami of activity in the adoption of open source library automation software and in demands for open access to library data to enable better local control and integration with third party products. Specialists in serials need to be aware of, and provide input into, the emerging visions of library automation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]