Periodicals

Print Periodicals Collections

Purpose

The primary purpose of the periodicals collection is to support the mission of Pepperdine University. The collection should support the general research needs of the students in all areas of the curriculum. The collection at Payson Library also contains a limited amount of materials for leisure reading for students, faculty and staff.

Selection Considerations and Migration to Electronic Formats

Only one subscription is maintained for the majority of business, education, and psychology titles that are available in an electronic database. In cases where multiple subscriptions had existed in the past, the West Los Angeles Campus Library or Irvine Campus Library now holds that one print copy. As new titles are added, preference is given to electronic access, but the requesting faculty member is always consulted. If electronic access to older titles becomes available at a reasonable price (10% or less of the print cost), that access is added if it is an alternative to binding.

As collections of electronic journals become available through SCELC, the print titles are dropped: for example, Project Muse, ScienceDirect, Wiley Interscience, and SpringerLink. These collections have additionally provided access to titles not previously received on subscription.

The changing environment of scholarly journals and scholarship requires the Library to continuously assess the collection in terms of the balance between electronic and print formats, the physical condition of the collection, and the space needs at Payson Library and the branch libraries.

To address these challenges, Pepperdine Libraries are implementing a plan to transition most scholarly journals to electronic-only access. There are a number of factors that have contributed to the development of this plan. We are faced with the realities of changing patron research habits, limited buying power, and limited space. We also need to provide resources that support multiple campuses, including students and faculty at overseas sites. Research libraries around the world are facing similar challenges and making similar choices. Our goal is to develop strategies that best serve the Pepperdine community without compromising the Libraries' commitment to access and preservation of materials for scholars.

For more information on this plan, faculty and students should contact their departmental librarian or Lynne Jacobsen, Associate University Librarian for Information Resources, Collections and Scholarly Communication.

Criteria for Exception (Retaining Print Subscription)

• Special academic interest by faculty or librarian
• The title is primarily used for browsing
• The title is not adequately indexed
• The electronic license agreement is excessively restrictive
• We have strong concerns about the commitment from the publisher for long-term archiving, preservation, and access

Criteria for Migration to Electronic Format

Our first round of titles for evaluation will be titles that are in Portico. After completing the Portico titles, we will then determine the next round of titles to evaluate. Print cancellation will be determined on a title-by-title basis in consultation with our user community. Titles will be evaluated to see if they meet the criteria to move to an electronic-only format. Ordinarily, when an electronic version is available from a publisher, we buy in if the price is not too great. Most of our patrons have voiced their desire to have titles available online so as to be available at all times.

Responsibility for Selection

The Scholarly Resources Librarian, working with the subject specialist librarians, has the primary responsibility for selecting periodicals. Faculty should refer their requests to their subject liaison librarian.

Special Considerations

In adding new titles, priority is given to requests from new faculty or for new programs. Journals frequently requested on Interlibrary Loan by a variety of patrons are also considered for subscription.

Older materials in the collection are regularly evaluated for retention. As faculty leave or retire, titles obtained for their courses are cancelled if those courses are no longer taught. Faculty input is secured as needed. Factors considered include:

• Demand due to curricular needs
• Currency appropriate to the subject area
• Value as an item of enduring interest
• Current or potential usage
• Condition of the material
• Available space
• Title is available in the Western Regional Storage Trust (WEST)

Bound Periodical Collections

The Libraries maintain a considerable collection of bound periodicals. These will be maintained except when deaccessioned under the policies described below.

Policies for Print Periodical Retention

As existing periodical collections become available in digital formats, it is our policy to acquire the digital formats and deaccession the analog copies when and if the following conditions are met:

1. The entire print run that we own is available digitally.
2. Digital formats are owned rather than leased. This includes collections that Pepperdine Libraries may elect to digitize for inclusion in a digital repository.
3. If digital files are stored onsite, appropriate measures are in place for backup and recovery, and for ongoing digital preservation.
4. If digital files are externally hosted, the hosting vendor is a participant in Portico, JSTOR, or a comparable escrow or archival system that ensures long-term access and preservation. This is the preferred option. As a secondary alternative, the vendor agreement must specify that they provide us with electronic media copies of our content in the event that we terminate our agreement with them or they cease publication.

Exceptions to the above policy

If digital resources are leased, bound periodical collections of the same content may be shifted to a low-use storage facility.

Periodical collections may also be deaccessioned if one of the following criteria is met. Library liaisons are responsible for determining the usefulness of materials in their subject are of responsibility.

1. The content in the collection is deemed out of date and no longer academically useful.
2. Content in the collection is made available electronically for public access from an authoritative, reliable source (e.g., the Library of Congress).
3. Content is available in the Western Regional Storage Trust (WEST)