Print periodicals at the E.S. Farley Library include print journals and newspapers. The goal of the library is to maintain subscriptions to print periodicals that are necessary and vital in support of our curriculum and appropriate to the size of a small academic library collection and to supplement these with other titles as the budget allows.
The library does not acquire or process any print subscriptions purchased with funds outside the library budget. Print journals may be gifted to the library per the Gift Materials/Donations policy.
Selection
Selection of print periodicals is the responsibility of librarians in cooperation with faculty. Responsibility for the acquisition of print periodicals rests with the Electronic Resources Librarian.
Journals are ordered in August and subscriptions begin the following January. There is no designated deadline for ordering newspapers.
Selection Criteria
Print periodicals will be judged based upon the following criteria: cost, availability in a full-text database, uniqueness of the content, necessary accreditation, and potential usefulness to the greatest number of our students and faculty.
The library will endeavor to purchase or subscribe to the electronic format, when available and when cost-effective. The print format will be considered, as space allows, when the electronic format is not available, not within the budget, or if the content does not lend itself to online usage. Microform is not a desired format.
Retention
Back issues of print journals will be retained for a designated number of years on a per title basis. Factors considered include but are not limited to relevance to the curriculum, usefulness to student and faculty research, and usage. Print journals are not retained if coverage is duplicated online. Newspapers are discarded on a regular basis.
Evaluation
Since this collection represents an ongoing financial commitment that increases annually with inflation, the librarians will regularly evaluate each title based on its scholarly value relative to its cost. The annual evaluation of print periodicals is designed to ensure that the collection has met the goals laid out in this policy. Through this process, titles may be added or cancelled, and formats may be de-duplicated. Many factors inform this review, including but not limited to cost, usage, overlap of content or format, and relevance to the curriculum.
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