Journal de-selection in a biomedical research library: A mediated mathematical approach. [Cancellation of subscriptions]
This paper presents the mathematical formula developed for journal de-selection decisions. The formula factors in subscription cost, shelving and storage cost, interlibrary loan cost, staffing cost, and usage level to determine the )open quotes)institutional cost ratio)close quotes) which serves as an indicator of the cost-effectiveness of subscribing to each title. Once the institutional cost ratio was calculated for each of the 537 titles, a committee of library staff and senior library customers reviewed the ranked list to decide which subscriptions should be canceled based on the rankings. The committee also considered possible exceptions based on subjective criteria such as availability at local libraries, unrecorded usage, and relative importance of the journal. The preliminary cancellation list was then reviewed by the researchers who use the Library. The researchers were able to justify Library subscriptions to a few additional titles. By using this method, we were able to cut our subscription costs by 46)percent), while cutting only 8)percent) of the total usage. In addition, by mediating the mathematical approach with human intervention, we were able to make these severe cuts without unduly distressing our patrons.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 5180371
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-97330; CONF-880542-1; ON: DE88004001
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 88. annual meeting of the Medical Library Association, New Orleans, LA, USA, 20 May 1988; Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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BIOLOGY
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
LIBRARIES
DOCUMENT TYPES
MEDICINE
COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS
INFORMATION DISSEMINATION
LAWRENCE LIVERMORE LABORATORY
SURVEYS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
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