Library Collection Development - Specific Collections

Regional, national, and international journals and newspapers are collected in print, microform, and digital formats.   While many periodicals are held and retained in print, a growing portion of the collection is digital, primarily in the form of online databases obtained by Hutchins Library or via cooperative agreements.   Future purchases of individual publications in digital formats are a possibility.   A few publications are purchased in microform only.

Hutchins Library subscribes to a few popular magazine titles with limited scholarly content.  These titles are retained unbound for up to seven years. BANC indicates the retention policy for these titles.

All print subscriptions are reviewed every few years by the appropriate collection development liaison . Candidates for cancellation are reviewed with the Acquisitions/Serials Librarian and the department/program.   When reviewing titles the liaison considers the following:

• Does the title still support the curriculum?
• How does the title complement full-text online resources?
• Does the library have an index that includes the title?
• If the title is available online, is the source stable?
• Are the annual price increases for the title reasonable?
• If the title were cancelled, would the library be able to provide adequate support for the department/program's curriculum?

Because of Hutchins Library's ongoing financial commitment to current journal and newspaper subscriptions, requests for new subscriptions are considered with great care.  The Acquisitions/Serials Librarian is responsible for evaluating requests in consultation with the library collection development liaison and the department/program liaison.

Hutchins Library does not bind journal titles available through stable digital archival sources (e.g. JSTOR, Project Muse, American Chemical Society, BioOne, and Annual Reviews). The print issues for these titles are generally retained for browsing until the issues are available electronically. BANC indicates how long print issues are retained.