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Current Subscribers: 360
RESPONSES TO INQUIRIES
2. What Should We Call Ourselves?
3. Revised 1996 Serials Price Projections
1. DEFINING A CORE COLLECTION (Inquiry in BLAB #36)
Response from: Lucretia McClure, U. Rochester <LMCL@db1.cc.rochester.edu>
It seems to me that Jett McCann asked a question about the building of a core collection on the BLAB recently. While browsing through the MLA Bulletin I came upon an article on this topic in volume 65 #2:287, 1977. I thought people on the list might enjoy this article if it was not noted before.
[Editor's Note: This Bull MLA "Brief Communication" discusses the establishment of a VERY core collection (less than 300 books) set aside as a non-circulating collection in an academic medical library. Reading the article led me to wondering how many of you have such non-circulating collections of core textbooks, and how useful you find them to be.]
2. WHAT SHOULD WE CALL OURSELVES?
Inquiry from: Linda Hulbert, Saint Louis U. Medical Center Library <HULBERTLA@SLUVCA.SLU.EDU>
I have a query for my colleagues. What should we call ourselves in this changing paradigm? Is it time to dump collection development and acquisitions. I know that we still collect and we still acquire but more and more we're selecting resources to which we will facilitate access; we'll provide a web site possibly including locally published materials; we'll collect less and direct more. So is it time to change our names; change our collection development manuals to...something else? I don't see the need for us going away any time soon, but I don't think we'll be collecting as much. If we tie ourselves to the least interesting technology in the library (still the best, so far, but not glitzy), will we be simply the archivists of the printed word? What are your thoughts?
Response From: Marjory Waite, U. North Carolina <mwaite.hsl@mhs.unc.edu>
The Health Sciences Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill underwent a strategic planning process a few years ago. A new organizational structure was one result of that process. Most of the new departments and many positions also have new names. Collection development and acquisitions functions, as well as interlibrary loan, are now grouped under Resources Management Services, one of four departments. Within Resources Management are three units and an administrative assistant. Perhaps the easiest way to describe our department and the new names we use for functional units is the following:
Some of our new names have been more successful than others thus far. It is much easier for example to refer to our department as Resources Management or to ourselves as resources management librarians, than it is to remember that ILL is now Selection and Access. Yet the closer ties with selection and Access have been very beneficial for serials selection.
We are beginning to work on policies and procedures for electronic resources. While WWW and home pages are part of our life, we also see ourselves selecting titles on the Internet. We envision providing catalog access to these titles and regularly verifying the electronic pathway by having them "checked-in" by acquisitions. We will have to pay for some of those titles. I tend to think of the Internet as a catalog from which we can select titles for our collections. I would be very interested in hearing what others are doing with electronic resources.
Response from: Toni Prelec, SUNY Stony Brook <APRELEC@HSCLIB.hsc.sunysb.edu>
My suggestions are:
Instead of"Collection development" new name could be "Selection of Information Resources;
Instead of "Collection development librarian" new name could be "Information Resources librarian".
Response from: The Editor <dmorse@hsc.usc.edu>
For some more thoughts on the changing paradigms in which authors, libraries, and publishers are beginning to operate, take a look at the recently issued workshop report from the Council on Library Resources and the Association of American Publishers: LIBRARIANS AND PUBLISHERS IN THE SCHOLARLY INFORMATION PROCESS: TRANSITION IN THE ELECTRONIC AGE (ISBN: 0-933636-30-X). The 68-page report is available from the Association of American Publishers/PSP Division, 71 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10003-3004. (Phone: 212-255-0200 x224). The cost is $25.00 (prepaid, plus $2.00 shipping for shipments outside the U.S. and Canada).
3. REVISED 1996 SERIALS PRICE PROJECTIONS
Response From: Kathryn Dudley, Bowman Gray <kdudley@isnet.is.wfu.edu>
"35th Annual Report: Periodical Price Survey, 1995," _Library Journal_, April 15, 1995
1996 Cost Projections by Broad Subject
| Arts and Humanities Citation Index | US | 8.0% increase | |
|---|---|---|---|
| non US | 18.0% increase | overall 14.5% increase | |
| Social Sciences Citation Index | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| US | 12.0% increase | ||
| non US | 18.0% increase | overall 16.1% increase | |
| Science Citation Index | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| US | 13.0% increase | ||
| non US | 18.0% increase | overall 16.6% increase | |
We are planning to cut all titles that show low use (0-3), as our budget increase does not match the projected cost increase for 1996.
Response From: Kittie Henderson, EBSCO <KITTIEH@EBSCO.COM>
Subject: PRESS RELEASE APRIL 12, 1995 (EBSCO SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FROM Laura Ralstin, Communications Coordinator
EBSCO Subscription Services
1996 Global Serial Price Projections Update
EBSCO has released updated projections for 1996 serials prices and included projections for libraries in several countries. Projecting increases is still difficult at this time of year as many yet-undetermined factors will affect journal prices, including: page increases, volume expansion, subscription cancellations, basic inflation, and currency exchange rates in effect at the time prices are set or publishers are paid for 1996 subscriptions.
EBSCO continually communicates with major publishers regarding projected price increases, and updated projections will be provided later in the year when publishers have enough information regarding these factors to make their own projections for 1996 subscription prices.
At this time EBSCO is projecting a base increase of 10 -11 percent for 1996 journal subscription prices. Projected increases for libraries and organizations invoiced in various currencies are listed below. For U.S. journals, projections are based on estimated subscription price increases and the relative value of the customer billing currency (footnote 1) compared to the U.S. dollar. For European journals, projections are based on estimated subscription price increases and the relative value of the customer billing currency compared to that of a European currency composite (footnote 2).Ranges shown are for European journals published outside the corresponding country for each billing currency (e.g., the projected increase for customers invoiced in pounds does not apply to U.K. journals).
*Price Increase Factors*
Two factors which will have a key effect on some journal prices this year include significant increases in the cost of white, non-recycled paper and U.S. postage rates. These factors are in addition to page number and volume expansion, cancellations, basic inflation, etc. Ultimate price increases will also depend on the value of the currency in which subscribers are invoiced as compared to the currency in which journals are priced when publishers are paid for 1996 subscriptions.
*Conservative budgeting*
As always, EBSCO recommends all customers add 3 to 5 percent to the estimated price increases for all journals to protect their budgets from a weakening of the currency in which they are invoiced between now and when subscription rates are set or publishers are paid.
*More information available*
Journal cost history by library type (e.g., academic, academic medical, corporate, special, law school, law firm, public and hospital) for the years 1991-1995, along with updated price projections, will be available in the upcoming publication Serial Price Projections: 1996, published by EBSCO.
PROJECTED PRICE INCREASES BY CUSTOMER BILLING CURRENCY
| Customer Billing Currency |
Projected Increase for U.S. Journals |
Projected Increase for European Journals |
|---|---|---|
| Australian dollar | 13.5 - 15.5% | 17.5 - 19.5% |
| British pound | 8.5 - 10.5% | 13.5 - 15.5% |
| Canadian dollar | 11.5 - 13.5% | 15.5 - 17.5% |
| Dutch guilder | 0 - 2.5% | 7.0 - 8.0% |
| French franc | 2.5 - 4.5% | 9.0 - 11.0% |
| German mark | 0 - 2.5% | 7.0 - 8.0% |
| Italian lira | 15.5 - 17.5% | 21.5 - 25.5% |
| Japanese yen | 0.5 - <1.5>% | 5.5 - 7.5% |
| New Zealand dollar | 5.5 - 8.5% | 11.0 -13.0% |
| South African rand | 11.5 - 12.5% | 16.5 - 18.5% |
| Spanish peseta | 8.5 - 10.5% | 14.5 - 16.5% |
| Turkish lira | 14.5 - 16.5% | 16.5 -18.5% |
| U.S. dollar | 10 - 11% | 13.0 - 15.0%*(footnote 3) 20.0 - 22.0%*(footnote 4) |
(Footnote 2) The European currency composite is the average value of the British pound, French franc, German mark, Dutch guilder and Swiss franc.
(Footnote 3) For European journals priced in country of origin currency.
(Footnote 4) For European journals priced in U.S. dollars or with fixed conversion rates -- this rate is most applicable to U.S. libraries, as most major European publishers now set prices in U.S. dollars for U.S. customers instead of pricing in native currencies. These rates are generally set in mid to late summer. One component of U.S. dollar rates is the strength of the U.S. dollar as compared to publishers' native currencies at the time these rates are set, so it is difficult to predict the eventual price of such journals this early in the year. Journals priced with variable rates will be affected by the strength of the U.S. dollar in early fall when publishers are paid for these journals.
Response From: Lynn Fortney <LYNNF@EBSCO.COM>
For U.S.customers buying U.S. titles, we are estimating 10-11% increases as a result of the increased cost of postage and of white non-recycled paper as well as page and volume expansion, increased cancellations, etc. A subscription list for a large academic medical center library is typically about 2/3 U.S. and 1/3 non domestic publishers, but actual expenditures are about 50% for each. For a hospital library, the balance is heavier toward the U.S. publishers, but usually about 10 - 15% of the titles are non U.S. The good news is that, for a hospital, these titles are usually British, and right now the pound and the dollar are just about equal to where they were back at invoicing time in the Fall. Medical librarians should pay particular attention to the titles coming out of Germany and Switzerland as our U.S. dollar is doing very poorly against these currencies. All of this is spelled out in more detail in the press release.
I've sent the fifth edition of the Index Medicus Price Study off for its final edit and it should be going to press soon. Latest finding: the average price for a title indexed by Index Medicus is $360.91 for 1995.
Response from Anne McKee, Faxon, <mckeea@faxon.com>
Here is the latest price projections update. This information is also available via the homepage at: http://www.faxon.com.
News Release
For Immediate Release Contact: Ron Akie
(617) 329-3350, ext. 292
1996 SUBSCRIPTION PRICE PROJECTION UPDATE Falling US Dollar Means Steeper 1996 Increases
April 24, 1995, Westwood, MA -- Since we released our initial price projection for 1996 subscriptions in January, the US dollar has fallen dramatically. In the interest of providing librarians objective information, whether the news is good or bad, to help in planning and budgeting, we have revised our projection for 1996.
We now expect that a typical collection will see an overall increase of 14.8 percent, versus our original projection of 13.5 percent. The US dollar is 9 percent weaker against the key European currencies than we thought it would be at this time and shows few real signs of significant recovery. We think it is prudent, therefore, to add an additional contingency of at least 5 percent to the Currency Exchange component of the price increase for European titles.
| January 1995 Projection | April 1995 Revision | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North American | European | North American | European | |
| Page Inflation | 2.5% | 3.0% | 2.5% | 3.0% |
| Paper/Postage | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.0% |
| General Inflation | 2.5% | 2.0% | 2.5% | 2.0% |
| Cancellations | 2.5% | 3.0% | 2.5% | 3.0% |
| Currency Changes | N/A | 7.5% | N/A | 12.5% |
| Total Increase | 10.5% | 18.5% | 10.5% | 23.5% |
| Typical Overall Increase: | 13.1% | 14.8% | ||
| (based on 67% U.S., 33% European collection) | ||||
The increases detailed in each category above represent the net effect that each component is expected to have on the final subscription price. For example, European title page increases in total are expected to be closer to 6%, but the net effect on the price will be 3%.
Key Assumptions.
Response from Virginia Lingle, Penn State Hershey Medical Center <lingle@shrsys.hslc.org>
I received a quote from our sales representative at Faxon (Dawson) that given the current financial situation, the projected serial price increase for 1996 is 10.5% for US titles and 18.5% for non-US titles. For our collection of about 1800 current titles our projected increase will be about 15.4% or approximately $94,000. We had budgeted for about a 12% increase so we will have to repeat the process we went through last year to find titles to cancel. We were also able to renegotiate our contract with the journal vendor and saved several thousand dollars through a smaller service fee.
NOTICES
4. NEW WWW HUMAN NUTRITION PAGE, FROM MEXICO CITY
From: Angel Ledesma, Clinical Nutrition <jledesma@spin.com.mx>
An interesting new WWW site that brings together many Human Nutrition
sources on the Web is the "Human Nutrition, WEB" at
http://www.spin.com.mx/nutrimex/nutrimex.html
It has been compiled by J. Angel Ledesma S., Clinical Nutritionist (jledesma@spin.com.mx)
This page includes: FTP,TelNet,WWW,Gopher,Services,Nutrition from Mexico, On line Newsletters, UseNet, ListServers, Seminars, FAQ...
P.S. Spanish Language, but links are English...
5. MEDICAL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION ANNUAL MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS
From: Jon Eldredge, U. New Mexico <jeldredg@biblio.unm.edu>
The JAMA Journal Review Panel meets Monday, May 8th 10am in the Farragut Room during MLA. Interested BLABbers are welcome to attend.
From: Melanie Wilson, U. Iowa <melanie-wilson@UIOWA.EDU>
Below is some information on the joint Collection Development/Public Services section programming at the upcoming MLA annual meeting.
Right On the Money: Optimizing Choices in Access and Ownership", an invited papers session sponsored by the Collection Development and Public Services sections of the Medical Library Association, to be held during the upcoming annual meeting of the Association:
Wednesday, May 10, 1995, 8:30 am - 10 am.
International Ballroom West, Hilton Hotel
Washington, D.C.
The program includes presentations by Gary Byrd, Daniel Richards, and Patricia Redman and Patricia Martin. Abstracts of their papers follow.
DO LIBRARY JOURNAL COLLECTIONS CONTRIBUTE TO PRODUCTIVE USE OF THE
JOURNAL LITERATURE?
Gary D. Byrd, Director,
Health Sciences Library, SUNY at Buffalo, NY 14214
This study explored the relationship between the number of health sciences library journal subscriptions available to U.S. schools of medicine and productive use of the journal literature by a national sample of 622 tenure-track faculty in departments of biochemistry and medicine. Productive use of the journal literature was measured by counting the number of different journals cited in articles the faculty published in 1990-91. Using ordinary least squares techniques, regression models were estimated using variables describing the library journal collections, other library resources, the schools of medicine, the faculty authors, and the characteristics of the published articles and the cited journals. The results strongly suggest that, after controlling for the other model variables, neither the number articles faculty publish nor the number of different journals they cite are significantly influenced by the number of journal subscriptions in the health sciences library serving the school of medicine. On the other hand, the results do suggest that the size of a library's journal collection, after controlling for many of the same variables, is significantly influenced by the number of articles the faculty are publishing and, perhaps, also by the number of different journals faculty cite in those articles. These results have strong implications for health sciences library decisions regarding access to and ownership of the journal literature.
PUBLIC SERVICES IN THE EVOLVING VIRTUAL LIBRARY
Patricia M. Redman, M.S.L.S., Head, Information Services
Patricia W. Martin, A.M.L.S., Head, Education Services
Alfred Taubman Medical Library,
The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-0726
An increasing percentage of collection budgets is being shifted to electronic resources as libraries migrate to the virtual library of the 21st century. This paper will present a practical assessment of the impact of this shift on users, staff, and information services. Key issues related to the dynamics of functioning within a large academic library system will be identified. These same issues will then be examined from the broader perspective of a sample of midwest academic libraries, along with strategies and solutions used by these libraries to implement and maximize their electronic environments. Finally, an inter-institutional cooperative project currently under development and intended to organize and enhance the availability of Internet resources will be described as another step toward the virtual library.
BUDGETING FOR ACCESS: CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY
Daniel T. Richards, Director of Biomedical Libraries,
Dartmouth College, Hanover NH 03755
Health sciences librarians have traditionally built library collections by following carefully drafted statements of collection development policy which responded to specific information needs of library users. These policies, which typically assumed local ownership of the materials selected, formed the basis for the collection development budget process. Access was usually in the domain of circulation services or interlibrary lending and borrowing and was not a major factor in the budget, except for personnel.Recent significant changes in the environment for library services have greatly expanded the concept of access and made it a key element of the public service agenda in all health science libraries. Among these changes have been the continued development of more sophisticated library networks, the advent of nearly ubiquitous electronic access to information resources within and external to a library's parent institution, the explosion in the range and type of those resources, the rapid expansion of the Copyright Clearance Center together with significant rises in copyright fees, the appearance of multi-institutional site licensing agreements, and the growth of commercial document delivery systems welcoming direct interactions with library users.
This paper explores the effect of these environmental changes and other local changes on the budget process in health sciences libraries, and discusses topics such as reallocation within the budget, the challenge of educating budget officers, and methods for controlling and sharing costs for access.
From: The Editor <dmorse@hsc.usc.edu>
BLABbers should also plan to be on hand for the program session sponsored by the Technical Services Section (Tuesday 10:30 to noon), which includes a variety of papers relevant to technical services management and collection development in the digital environment. For a more detailed description of the program, connect to the Technical Services Section's impressive new Home Page (under construction) at: http://www-mlatss.stanford.edu.
And please stop by and introduce yourself if you see me wandering around the Hilton. I hate the fact that I know so many of you only by your email address.
| The BIOMEDICAL LIBRARY ACQUISITIONS BULLETIN (ISSN: 1064-699X) is published
by
the Medical Library Association's Collection Development Section with the
cooperation of the University of Southern California Norris Medical Library.
BLAB is published more or less monthly, and includes items of news and opinion
contributed by its readers concerning biomedical library acquisitions.
Editor: David H. Morse: dmorse@hsc.usc.edu. Paper mail: USC Norris Medical Library, 2003 Zonal Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90033. Telephone: (213) 342-1134. The BULLETIN is distributed free of charge, in electronic form only.
Requests for subscriptions and all editorial correspondence should be sent to the editor <dmorse@hsc.usc.edu>. | |