Basement Journals Deduplication Project

In 2014 the Electronic Resources unit proposed a project to withdraw redundant print versions of journal content held electronically, in perpetuity. Presented below is the original proposal and summary of the pilot project. The project has transitioned from a pilot project to an ongoing effort the Acquisitions & Collection Development department is managing.

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Journal volume withdrawal proposal (2014)

Summary.

As the library prioritizes housing relevant, unique content the problem of redundant periodical volumes has become evident. The solution identified in this proposal is to withdraw those volumes from the collection that duplicate perpetual e-access or JSTOR holdings. The proposal addresses the withdrawal in three phases, beginning with a phase that would provide maximum space-saving impact in a brief period of time.

• This proposal does not address the withdrawal of a title based on topic, and does not address individual title decisions; this withdrawal proposal uses a systematic approach, based on characteristics of format.
• There is no expected budgetary effect; the proposed work uses existing, already-trained staff to perform the withdrawal.
• The proposed timeline for Phase I begins in September 2014 and ends within one year.
• A work plan that identifies all required staff is attached in the appendices.

Purpose.

This document proposes journal volume withdrawal criteria for a multi-phased plan, providing detail for the first phase and an outline for the subsequent phases.

Introduction.

An academic library strives to build a collection that is complete for current and future researchers. Over time, as research and teaching needs change, irrelevant titles are removed from the collection to make room for timely inclusion of newer titles. Titles may also be removed if an academic area of interest is fully represented in the collection, and additional items would be redundant. This redundancy may be of topic or format.

For the last five years at LMU we have made an intentional decision to select items in one format, especially periodical titles. In 2013 it was decided to cease microfilm subscriptions that replaced print subscriptions. It is generally accepted that our collection goals moving forward will have each title held in only a single format, where possible. Though there will be exceptions to this general rule, especially as the workflows of a new e-book acquisition process are negotiated, it is firm for periodical titles.

In our library the most evident issue about the periodical collection is redundancy of format. As we examine the periodical collection as a whole there is rare intentional duplication in format with current subscriptions. There is, however, redundancy in older volumes in on-site storage in both print and microformat. This document proposes a withdrawal process to remove those duplications from the collection. The purpose of removing the duplicate volumes is for space-saving as well as consistency in the overall collection.

 

Literature Review.

Based on the literature consulted, libraries typically approach the withdrawal process as either short-term or long-term projects, for reasons of space or budget concerns.

The University of Rhode Island library planned a short-term print journal withdrawal project to make room for a new learning commons, outlined in a summary article housed at http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1008&context=lib_ps_pubs. The University of California at Santa Cruz was also initially prompted in the short term to withdraw items from their collection due to space constraints, eventually adopting an ongoing policy of withdrawals (criteria for periodical withdrawal identified as “available electronically”) at  http://library.ucsc.edu/collections/frequently-asked-questions-ucsc-university-library-withdrawals. The University of Arizona includes “changing customer behavior,” as a reason for withdrawal of redundant print materials, in addition to the space and budget concerns noted at the other institutions (Bracke & Martin, 2005).

An alternative to libraries acting alone in the withdrawal process is through consortial activities. OCLC provides several examples of the successes and failures of cooperative agreements to retain particular journals so that other libraries may remove them from their collections (http://www.oclc.org/content/dam/research/events/2007/11-12a.pdf?urlm=161939). A shared distributed journals project at academic institutions in Maryland is outlined at http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1356&context=charleston. LMU currently participates in a similar cooperative agreement, the WEST project, described in more detail below.

Many libraries or consortia have developed their own withdrawal selection criteria, in the examples noted above. An Internet search also retrieves multiple examples of the use of Ithaka’s What To Withdraw program (JSTOR) to assist in the identification of eligible volumes to be withdrawn from library collections. Texas State University at San Marcos outlined their process at their Albert B. Alkek Library website (http://www.library.txstate.edu/about/departments/acq/jstor.html). A hybrid approach of a shared print program and the Ithaka/JSTOR withdrawal process is University of California’s creation of a print archive of titles in JSTOR, outlined at http://www.lib.uci.edu/about/projects/jstor/‎.

A notable example of communication with faculty and staff about the withdrawal process is found at Belmont University, via a LibGuide at http://belmont.libguides.com/weeding.

Current state of periodicals at LMU.

As was traditionally done in libraries, as a current journal completed a volume, our library would send it to be commercially bound. In late 2008, as a cost-savings measure, we chose to stop commercial binding of periodicals in favor of boxing loose issues. The chosen boxes (Hollinger) presented space issues almost immediately in the new on-site storage area in the basement of the new library building. In 2011 we began using specially-designed boxes to store loose issues of journals; these new boxes are more space efficient than the Hollinger boxes.

At the move into the new library building, older periodicals were returned from Iron Mountain storage and are housed in a separate area of the basement, in the banker’s boxes used at Iron Mountain.

Print. Our print periodical collection has a mix of loose, currently received titles; loose, boxed completed volumes, and; commercially bound, completed volumes. The currently received titles are available for in-house use, publicly available on the second level of the library, in the Periodicals section. Older, completed volumes are stored in a Basement Periodicals section, and must be paged for use.

The print periodical collection has 2,464 titles, 1,187 of which are currently received. There are 57,191 periodical volumes in the collection.

Microform. Our entire microform collection of periodical titles is stored in a Microfilm section in the basement, and must be paged for use. Microform reading machines are available on the second level of the library, near the Periodicals section.

The microform collection has 409 titles, four of which are currently received periodicals.

The WEST Project. In 2012 LMU became a member of the Western Regional Storage Trust (WEST) as a Bronze partner. Our participation at this level means that we will house all the volumes we currently hold for 79 titles for the next 25 years. In Appendix A we identify which of the proposed titles to be withdrawn have a plan to be archived by a WEST participant. We will not withdraw titles we have committed to holding in WEST.

Perpetual Access Project. In 2008 the Head, Collection Development and the Head, Acquisitions & Serials began a years-long project to migrate print subscriptions to electronic-only subscriptions based on stated criteria, including guaranteed perpetual access to the content published while subscribed, satisfactory online interface, and reliable availability.

The journals identified for this project are subscribed through publishers that provide the content to us in perpetuity. The publishers with which we have the agreement are BioOne, Brill, Cambridge University Press, Elsevier, Emerald, Nature, Oxford University Press, SAGE, Taylor & Francis, University of Chicago Press, and Wiley. Over four years we have converted most of our print journal subscriptions from these publishers to the electronic format.

The result of this project is that our current subscriptions are in electronic format, with resulting older volumes in the print format housed in our basement storage area. Many of those print volumes duplicate content that is available electronically, in perpetuity.

Proposal.

This proposal does not address the withdrawal of a title due to a collection development decision based on topic, and does not address individual title decisions. The first two phases of this project are designed to approach withdrawal from a systematic approach, based on characteristics of format rather than topic.

Phase I: The two parts of this phase are designed to co-occur.

1. Titles to which we have perpetual access. The result of the Perpetual Access Project mentioned above is that there are many volumes of print periodicals that duplicate online access, to which we are guaranteed in perpetuity. Phase IA. proposes to withdraw those redundant volumes from the collection.
   Timeline: Begin September 2014 – Using the spreadsheets compiled during the Electronic Resource Unit’s perpetual access inventory project, identify eligible print volumes to be pulled and withdrawn. After a spreadsheet (organized by titles available through an individual publisher package) is completed and print volumes have been identified, double check that electronic access is available. Upon this guarantee, request that the volumes be pulled from the basement and sent to Cataloging for withdrawal. Complete in 2015.
   
   Sample title lists and holdings are available in Appendix A, noting which volumes from the publisher packages of Brill, BioOne, and Emerald are eligible to be withdrawn. From these three small publisher packages, 327 items have been identified as eligible. LMU has agreed to house two eligible titles in WEST, so those titles are not considered for withdrawal. Titles that are not currently held in any WEST archive are also not considered for withdrawal but will be marked for possible withdrawal in the future.
   Appendix B includes a work plan for Phase IA.
2. Titles with current limited retention but older issues in print or microformat. In 2013 we cancelled all microform subscriptions, except for four titles. These microformats used to replace print subscriptions. At the cancellation of the microformat subscriptions the Head, Collection Development made new retention decisions about those print subscriptions. Many are now retained for a limited period of time in the collection, though there are older volumes housed in Basement storage, in both print and microformat; Phase IB. proposes to withdraw the bound volumes for which we also have electronic access.
   Timeline: TBD – Compile a list of periodical subscriptions that are currently retained only for a limited period of time in the collection, but have older volumes stored in the basement. Request that those volumes be pulled from the basement and sent to Cataloging for withdrawal.
   Appendix C includes a work plan for Phase IB.

Phase II: JSTOR. Given that the scope of the JSTOR collection fits the teaching and research needs of the LMU community the library may decide to commit to maintaining a subscription to JSTOR content as long as it is available. If the library makes that commitment, conducting this phase of the withdrawal project is reasonable.

Using the updated (2012) What to Withdraw Decision Support Tool (described at http://www.against-the-grain.com/2012/08/update-what-to-withdraw-decision-support-tool/), identify titles and volumes eligible for withdrawal from our collection. There is probable overlap in titles from Phase I.

Components and Timeline: Review the Support Tool to identify titles and volumes eligible for withdrawal. Consult with the Head, Collection Development to confirm before requesting that those volumes be pulled from the basement. Review volumes, verify online access, and send to Cataloging for withdrawal. Complete in one calendar year.

Phase III: The parts of this phase may co-occur or be addressed one at a time. No timeline for these parts is given.

1. If Phase II is completed, continue to remove any print titles that become eligible for withdrawal as JSTOR’s moving wall extends from year to year.
2. Review titles individually, based on a ranking criteria such as JCR rank, Impact Factor, uniqueness of title, etc. Develop criteria in consultation with the Head, Collection Development.
3. If the WEST Project has developed into a robust, trusted archive, consider withdrawal of print titles from our collection that are held by their members.

Literature cited or consulted for this proposal.

Albert B. Alkek Library. (2012). JSTOR journal withdrawal project. Retrieved 8/28/2013, from http://www.library.txstate.edu/about/departments/acq/jstor.html

Brack, M. S., & Martin, J. (2005). Developing criteria for the withdrawal of print content available online. Retrieved 8/28/2013, from  http://intranet.library.arizona.edu/teams/admin/documents/PrintWithdrawal_Bracke_Martin_2005.pdf

Gallagher, B. T., & Rathemacher, A. J. (2012). Need exceeds space: A serials withdrawal project at the University of Rhode Island University Libraries. Library Resources & Technical Services, 56(2), 94-103.

Lila D. Bunch Library. (2013). Collection review project: Reference books and bound periodical titles. Retrieved 8/28/2013, from http://belmont.libguides.com/weeding

OCLC RLG Programs. (2005). RLG Programs Shared Print Collection Management Summit: Summary report. Retrieved 8/28/2013, from http://www.oclc.org/content/dam/research/events/2007/11-12a.pdf?urlm=161939

Slote, S. (1989). Weeding library collections: Library weeding methods (3rd ed). Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, Inc.

Snead, B.J. (2012). Shared journals: Save space, improve access with the Maryland Shared Distributed Journal Collections Project. Retrieved 8/28/2013, from http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1356&context=charleston.

University of California Santa Cruz. (2013). Frequently asked questions – USCS University Library withdrawals. Retrieved 8/28/2013, from http://library.ucsc.edu/collections/frequently-asked-questions-ucsc-university-library-withdrawals.

Print periodical title eligible to be withdrawn	Publisher	Given WEST holdings, vols to be withdrawn	Volumes still eligible to be withdrawn	Print volumes in the LMU collection (vol/year range)	Microfilm volumes in the LMU collection (vol/year range)	LMU's perpetual access holdings	Volumes held in a WEST archive (via http://papr.crl.edu)	WEST archive holder
Journal for the Study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman period [electronic resource].	Brill	v.40(2009)-v.42(2011)	0	v.20(1989)-v.42(2011)                (missing: 40:4, 5)	n/a	v.40(2009)-	v.1(1970)-	Stanford University
American biology teacher [electronic resource] / National Association of Biology Teachers.	BioOne	v.62(2000)-v.67(2005)	v.68(2006)-v.72(2010)	v.35(1973)-v.72(2010)	n/a	v.62(2000)-	v.1(1938)-v.67(2005)	Stanford University
Annals of the Entomological Society of America [electronic resource].	BioOne	v.94(2001)-v.102(2009)	0	v.94(2001)-v.102(2009)	n/a	v.93(2000)-	v.1(1908)-v.102(2009)	Stanford University
BioScience [electronic resource].	BioOne	v.50(2000)-v.55(2005)	v.56(2006)-v.61(2011)	v.27(1977)-v.61(2011) (missing: 54:4-6, 61:5)	n/a	v.50(2000)-	14(1964)-55(2005)	Arizona State University
Botanical review [electronic resource].	BioOne	v.68(2002)-v.71(2005)	v.72(2006)-v.73(2007)	v.20(1954)-v.76(2010)	n/a	v.68(2002)-v.73(2007)	1(1935)-12(1946), 14(1948)-71(2005), Indexes: 1(1935)-25(1959)	Arizona State University
Condor [electronic resource].	BioOne	v.102(2000)-v.107(2005)	0	v.98(1996)-	n/a	v.102(2000)-	2(1900)-107(2005), Indexes: 2(1900)-50(1948)	Arizona State University
Copeia [electronic resource].	BioOne	1974-2009	0	1974-2009	n/a	no.1(2000)-	no.1(1913:Dec.27)-no.173(1929:Oct./Dec.);1930:no.1(1930:Apr.)-2005:no.4(2005:Dec.15)	Stanford University
Evolution [electronic resource] : international journal of organic evolution.	BioOne	v.54(2000)-v.60(2006)	v.61(2007)-v.63(2009)	v.1(1947)-v.63(2009) (missing: 55:1/2)	n/a	v.54(2000)-v.63(2009)	1(1947)-60(2006)	Arizona State University
Journal of mammalogy [electronic resource].	BioOne	v.81(2000)-v.86(2005)	v.87(2006)-v.90(2009)	v.47(1966)-v.51(1970);v.56(1975)-v.90(2009)	n/a	v.81(2000)-	1(1919)-86(2005), Indexes: 1(1919)-80(1999) v.1-3 and v.5 reprints	Arizona State University
Journal of paleontology [electronic resource].	BioOne	v.74(2000)-v.79(2005)	v.80(2006)-v.83(2009)	v.65(1991)-v.83(2009)	v.25(1951)-v.64(1990)	v.74(2000)-	1(1927)-79(2005), Indexes: 1(1927)-50(1976) v.1-3 reprints	Arizona State University
Journal of wildlife management [electronic resource].	BioOne	v.68(2004)-v.69(2005)	0	v.53(1989)-v.69(2005)	n/a	v.68(2004)-v.75(2011)	1(1937)-69(2005), Indexes: 11(1947)-40(1976)	Arizona State University
Mammalian species [electronic resource].	BioOne	no.632(2000)-no.787(2005)	0	no.1(1969)-no.787(2005)	n/a	no.632(2000)-	no.1(1969)-no.787(2005)	Stanford University
Wildlife Society bulletin [electronic resource].	BioOne	v.32(2004)-v.33(2005)	0	v.17(1989)-v.33(2005)	n/a	v.32(2004)-v.34(2006)	1(1973)-33(2005)	Arizona State University
Accounting, auditing & accountability journal [electronic resource].	Emerald	v.8(1995)	0	v.1(1988)-v.8(1995)	n/a	v.8(1995), v.14(2001)-	v.2(1988)-v.18 (2005), Indexes: v.1/5, Bound with v.5, v.1/7, Bound with v.7	Rice University
Collection building [electronic resource].	Emerald	v.10(1990)-v.22(2003)	0	v.10(1990)-v.22(2003)	n/a	v.1(1978)-	v.2(1980)-v.28(2009)	Stanford University
Journal of business & industrial marketing [electronic resource].	Emerald	v.3(1988)-v.7(1992), v.9(1994)-v.21(2006)	v.8(1993), v.22(2007)-v.23(2008)	v.3(1988)-v.23(2008) missing 23:3-4	n/a	v.1 (1986)-	T1N1(1986FALL) B3-7(1988-92) B9-12(1994-97) U13N1(1998), v.13:no.2-v.13:no.6 (1998), v.14:no.1-v.14:no.6 (1999), v.15:no.1-v.15:no.7 (2000), v.16:no.1-v.16:no.7 (2001), v.17:no.1-v.17:no.7 (2002), v.18:no.1-v.18:no.7 (2003), v.19:no.1-v.19:no.7 (2004), v.20:no.1-v.20:no.7 (2005), v.21:no.1-v.21:no.7 (2006)	Brigham Young University
Journal of business strategy [electronic resource].	Emerald	v.7(1986)-v.29(2008)	microfilm: v.1(1980)-v.4(1984)	v.7(1986)-v.29(2008)	v.1(1980)-v.4(1984)	v.1(1980)-v.29(2008), v.31(2010)-	v.1(1980)-	University of Washington
Journal of consumer marketing [electronic resource].	Emerald	v.6(1989)-v.10(1993), v.12(1995)-v.25(2008)	0	v.6(1989)-v.25(2008) missing 11:1-3,12:4,13:3-4,18:1	n/a	v.1(1984)-v.10(1993), v.12(1995)-	v.1(1983)-	University of Washington
Journal of services marketing [electronic resource].	Emerald	v.3(1989)-v.7(1993), v.9(1995)-v.19(2005)	v.20(2006)-v.22(2008)	v.3(1989)-v.22(2008) missing 7:1-3,10:2,3,5,6)	n/a	v.1(1987)-v.7(1993), v.9(1995)-	v.2(1988)-v.19(2005)	University of Oklahoma
Library hi tech [electronic resource].	Emerald	v.1(1983)-v.14(1996), v.18(2000)-v.26(2008)	0	v.1(1983)-v.26(2008) missing 18:3	n/a	v.1(1983)-v.14(1996), v.18(2000)-	v.1(1983)-	University of Washington
On-line review [electronic resource].	Emerald	v.8(1984)-v.16(1992)	0	v.8(1984)-v.16(1992)	n/a	v.1(1977)-v.16(1992)	v.1(1977)-v.16(1992)	University of Washington
Online & CDROM review [electronic resource] : the international journal of online & optical information systems.	Emerald	v.17(1993)-v.22(1998)	0	v.17(1993)-v.23(1999)	n/a	v.17(1993)-v.22(1998)	v.17(1993)-v.23(1999)	University of Washington
Online information review [electronic resource].	Emerald	v.24(2000)-v.32(2008)	0	v.24(2000)-v.32(2008)	n/a	v.24(2000)-	v.24(2000)-	University of Washington
Planning review [electronic resource].	Emerald	v.13(1985)-v.24(1996)	0	v.13(1985)-v.24(1996)	n/a	v.3(1975)-v.24(1996)	v.3(1975)-v.24(1996)	University of Washington
Reference services review [electronic resource] : RSR.	Emerald	v.1(1973)-v.24(1996), v.28(2000)-v.36(2008)	0	v.1(1973)-v.36(2008)	n/a	v.1(1973)-v.24(1996), v.28(2000)-	v.1(1972)-v.17(1989);v.18(1990)-	University of Washington
Strategy & leadership [electronic resource] : a publication of Strategic Leadership Forum.	Emerald	v.24(1996)-v.27(1999), v.29(2001)-v.36(2008)	0	v.24(1996)-v.36(2008)	n/a	v.24(1996)-v.27(1999), v.29(2001)-	v.24(1996)-	University of Washington