Re: electronic/paper format & weeding

["jeanette.regan" <library@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Although the subject area in which I manage a collection is very
specialised,the following are broad guidelines that are used and it might
give some food for thought for larger organisations.

Astronomy is very electronically based (it is proposed that 90% of refereed
material in this subject will be available in electronic format next year),
the users still prefer print copies of work when studying material. And
so,at this stage we are still getting both versions.

However, in Australia, there are 4 astronomy libraries in reasonably close
proximity (ie 3 are in the same city, Sydney,and I am just out of Canberra
(3 1/2 hrs drive away), and we are all in more or less regular contact. 

We basically are working on a distributed collection development policy in
the following ways. Each library has a slightly different collection but
there are a number of areas in which collections overlap. For the past 5
years we have been working cooperatively together to ensure that this works
effectively.
        - there are key titles to which all 4 institutions subscribe
        - if serial cancellations are to be made, then at least one
subscription is maintained at one of the institutions.
        - if new titles are being purchased, then one library will trial it
for the whole group. 
        -The decision as to which library maintains a subscription or orders
new titles been fully dependant on the pressure from the user groups.

We have reciprical borrowing rights for users of all the institutions and
articles are sent by mail without charge. Faxed articles are charged.

This system has been very effective for us all.

Jeanette Regan


At 08:15 AM 19/11/97 EST, you wrote:
>This conundrum is rather like the photo shops in my area which
>aggressively advertise that they will convert your old home
>movies to tape - ostensibly for "preservation." The dirty
>little secret, of course, is that the tape media probably have
>a shorter life expectancy than the media being converted to
>them. That, of course, is analog.
>But likewise, the last time I looked, the digital data
>storage situation was similarly problematic, that is to say, the
>notorious combination of media deterioration/hardware+software
>obsolescence. Any proposal to burn bridges in the wake of
>"Progress" _ in this case, sugar-coated with the euphemism
>"reformatting" - ought to be tempered by the trueism that
>"Forever is a long, long time."
>Henry Grunder
>Conservation/Preservation Coordinator
>The Library of Virginia (which would never claim my
>views/opinions as its own) 
>According to Barbara Sagraves:
>> 
>> Colleagues,
>> 
>> Dartmouth College Library, like most libraries, is running out of storage
>> space.  Our new addition which will be completed in 2000 will provide only
>> 10-15yrs. of stacks growth.  As we plan for construction questions have
bubbled
>> up about permanent storage and weeding the collection.
>> 
>> The development of JSTOR and the promise of electronic archiving creates the
>> possibility of withdrawing paper copies and relying solely on the electronic
>> version.  I was wondering if anyone has begun to discuss that option at their
>> own institution and if so what concerns stop your library from discarding the
>> paper in favor of the electronic version.  Let me make clear that we are
in no
>> way considering that option at Dartmouth but planning for  construction has
>> made us step back and question retention decisions in light of new means of
>> information delivery.
>> 
>> Has anyone considered weeding in light of the electronic info?
>> What has stopped you from discarding paper when electronic, especially JSTOR,
>> was available?
>> How has your institution's geographic location shaped the decision to
retain or
>> discard?
>> Other thoughts?
>> 
>> Many thanks.
>> 
>> Barb Sagraves
>> Preservation Services
>> Dartmouth College Library
>> 
>
>
>
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