Impact of Journal Cancellations on Interlibrary Loan Demand

Rachel Fleming and Kristin Calvert of Western Carolina University discuss their study of interlibrary loan borrowing requests in the three years surrounding a journal cancellation project. Noting that the impact of such a cancellation on interlibrary loan has not been studied since the 1990s, they examine numerous facets of requests for cancelled and non-cancelled journals, including request per journal, year of article requested, and request history for newly cancelled journals. Though journal cancellations resulted in a 2 percent increase in interlibrary loan requests, this number proved so small that Calvert and Fleming judged that their cancellations caused no undue effects.     

Identifying and Troubleshooting Link-Resolution Issues with ILL Data

Troubleshooting when a link resolver goes wrong can be difficult as it usually relies on the user to report the problem. Using data on interlibrary loan requests that have been cancelled because the materials are available online is one way that libraries can examine where link resolvers may be failing. For the 2012/2013 school year, the Samford University Library looked at this cancelled interlibrary loan request data to determine where their new link resolver and knowledgebase needed further customization to improve the user experience. This process not only identified a number of problems all along the link resolution chain, but it also put in place an ongoing process for identifying and troubleshooting link resolution issues in the future.     

City Magazines

Abstract

This study compared two lists of full-text content available in Academic Search Elite. EBSCO provided the lists to the University College of the Fraser Valley. In this study, focus was placed on the accuracy of the claims of full-text content, because the staff and library users at University College of the Fraser Valley (UCFV, British Columbia) depend on this database as part of the libraries' journal collection. Interlibrary loan staff routinely used a printed list of Academic Search Elite to check whether the journal was available at UCFV in electronic form; therefore, an accurate supplemental list or lists of the library's electronic journals was essential for cost-conscious interlibrary loan staff. The results of the study were that there were inaccuracies in the coverage of fifty-seven percent of the journals sampled. Serials Review 2003; 29:11–15.     

How Much Do Print Backfiles Matter?

Abstract

As physical collections are increasingly pressed for space, libraries continue to look at practices such as weeding and off-site storage, coupled with services like on-demand article-level document delivery, as potential space solutions. As libraries discard long runs of print journals, though, what role do journal backfiles play going forward? When many see backfiles as space hogs, is there data that provides a compelling argument for keeping backfiles of journals, and, if so, how should those backfiles be handled and by whom? Incorporating information from an interview with Glenn Jaeger, owner of Absolute Backorder Service, interlibrary loan data from the University of Prince Edward Island, and examples from the literature, this Balance Point column looks at the role that print journal backfiles play in the library landscape.     

Closing the Loop on Collections Review

Abstract

Resource cancelations happen all the time; however, assessing the outcomes of this process isn’t necessarily a priority. As our profession continues to move toward data supported decisions, how can we connect new data to decisions made 2–4?years ago? Western Carolina University will outline their approach to assessing their most recent cancelation decisions using interlibrary loan and historical journal price analysis data and discuss their plans for using key findings to plan for future collections reviews and to make budget asks.     

Introduction to AACR2r Revised Chapter 12

Abstract

Several political commentary journals are among America's best-known print journals. This article analyzes their online editions to see how well they are making use of such elements as interactive discussion, rapid publication, and ancillary links. Political discourse has been a mainstay of journal publishing since Addison and Steele started the Spectator, the first periodical for a popular audience, in London in 1711. Some of the oldest American journals are those featuring political commentary. Such journals proliferated in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries when some of their writers and editors like William F. Buckley Jr. grew to be considered powerful political forces in their own right.     

Get It Now: Five Years Later

Abstract

Five years ago, Tennessee Technological University Library implemented the use of Get It Now from the Copyright Clearance Center to provide their users with instant access to journal articles. Funding for this initiative came from the cancellation of expensive ejournal packages. Examining implementation, usage, costs, and pros and cons is helpful for other libraries considering this method of document delivery.     

Finding the Delicate Balance: Serials Assessment at the University of Nevada,Las Vegas

Abstract

In the spring of 2003 the University Libraries at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), conducted a Serials Assessment Project which combined technology with effective communication between library users and subject librarians to successfully identify journals that could be cancelled, should cancellations be necessary due to budgetary constraints. Although the library had conducted similar assessments in 1998 and 2000, a fresh look at past assessments resulted in an innovative approach. The project and experience proved to be tremendously positive for both the library and its users. This article describes the planning and process by which the UNLV libraries designed and conducted the 2003 review of UNLV's serials collection, comparing it to methods used in the two previous assessments.     

Nontraditional Approaches to Assessing Journal Importance: Case Study of Russian Journals on Earth Sciences

Abstract

Currently, a broad set of bibliometric indices for evaluation of journal quality, the level of its internationalization, and interactions between serials are available. However, some cases require one to obtain more precise methods to assess journals, e.g., when estimating new journals, selecting them into international citation databases, increasing their rank, broadening their readership, or optimizing editorial policy. To cope with new challenges, new approaches have been introduced including altmetrics and various analyses of editorial board composition and impact. Analyzing altmetrics and studying geographic diversity on editorial boards, comparing these data with that of journal authors, and evaluating research efficiency of editorial board members enables one to use new approaches to assess the rank of serials. This paper considers current research reports on altmetrics, geographic diversity, and publication activity of editorial board members of top journals on Earth Sciences published in the Russian Federation and recognized as international serials. It was found that such altmetrics as abstract views, full text views, and a number of viewed papers are now available as additional metrics to evaluate journal quality. Furthermore, provided that the data on altmetrics are complete, they can be considered as a specific predictor for future citations and other citation-based indices. Editorial board analyses demonstrate a correlation of bibliometric indices of editorial board members with that of a journal. As for geographic diversity, only half of the analyzed journals demonstrate a strong correlation between the number of foreign members on editorial boards and geographic representativeness of a journal, mainly due to the local nature of geosciences and trade secret mode in much of mining research. Generally, the obtained findings highlighted the efficiency of new approaches to evaluate journal quality both in the case of the absence of citation-based journal metrics and as an additional tool to traditional indices.     

The 5K Run Toolkit: A Quick,Painless, and Thoughtful Approach to Managing Print Journal Backruns

Abstract

Increasingly, academic libraries are choosing to discard or place in storage print journals that are now available online. The identification of these titles and related collection analysis activities are often time-intensive. The approach at the University of Saskatchewan Library was to develop an online toolkit that combined available data from disparate sources including the integrated library system, SFX link resolver, and OCLC's WorldCat and then present them in a collaborative open source environment. This paper demonstrates how the careful combination of existing data presented in a simple online format allowed subject specialists to make accurate print journal deselection decisions quickly and painlessly.     

The Standards Mantra

Abstract

The Essential Electronic Agricultural Library (TEEAL) and Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture (AGORA) are programs that will provide low-income countries with access to agricultural journal literature that advances their agricultural research and education objectives. Developed by Cornell University’s Mann Library and launched in 1999, TEEAL is a self-contained agricultural research library with full-text articles and graphics of 140 major journals related to agriculture from 1993 through 2003, stored and indexed on over 400 CD-ROMs. In mid-2005, most of the collection also became available for use over local area networks. Launched in October 2003, AGORA is an Internet-based journal delivery system led by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), with Mann Library as a principal partner. AGORA offers almost 800 journals from twenty-seven international publishers to 113 low-income countries and territories for free or a nominal fee.     

Beall’s List and Cabell’s Blacklist: A Comparison of Two Lists of Predatory OA Journals

Abstract

This study uses systematic random sampling to compare the content of “Beall’s List of Predatory Journals and Publishers” and “Cabell’s Blacklist” of journals. The Beall’s List data was generated from its new site that maintains a new list besides the original list. It found that 28.5% Beall’s List sample publishers are out of business, some Cabell’s Blacklist journals have become ceased. The main takeaway is that among the Beall’s List sample publishers with a working website for journal publishing, only 31.8% can be found on Cabell’s Blacklist.     

Looking at Journals from Both Sides

Abstract

The author, a professor in the field of communication, describes his contrasting experiences with publishing an open access society journal and advising a regional association in regards to turning over publication of its journal to a major commercial publishing firm. Using his experience of producing an open access journal as a foundation, he argues for the intrinsic importance of establishing credibility and exercising personal care in the production and maintenance of a journal. The author argues that current efforts by some societies to increase access to their journals through outsourcing to commercial publishers may be counterproductive to the fundamental goal of disseminating knowledge.     

Open Dialog: SciELO’s Approach to Open Access Publishing

Abstract

For over 20 years, Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) has been engaged in an ambitious program of open access journal publishing. In Brazil and 15 other countries, society journals and other publications rely on SciELO for online publishing infrastructure and a platform that gives visibility to a global audience. SciELO’s network of national level collections has expanded to 16 countries and provides an alternative model to approaches centered around commercial publishers or new open access journals.     

Wisconsin Little Magazines

Abstract

This evaluation method for journals meets the library's objective for a responsible, responsive collection management practice. It provides structure, but not without regard for the unique potential addition to the collection that each journal represents. Although subject to occasional fine-tuning, this method has worked satisfactorily for two hundred journal evaluations completed over the course of several years. It is a well-tested procedure and is adaptable to most library settings, in whole or in part, regardless of size or type of collection.