JSTOR Bound Journal Withdrawal Project
URL of this page: http://www.coloradocollege.edu/library/jstor2006.html
Update, March 8 2006: In close consultation with College faculty, Tutt librarians have compiled a combined list of JSTOR titles slated for withdrawal. Of course we will only withdraw volumes that are currently covered by JSTOR, so the College will not lose access to any of these issues. If you have not done so already, please review this list.
The Project: Tutt Library proposes to withdraw (i.e., donate to other libraries or discard) printed volumes of journals that are duplicated in the JSTOR online journal archive. We will make exceptions for selected journals with unusual features such as color illustrations, and for those journals where Tutt Library's holdings extend back to the early 20th or late 19th century.
We anticipate that the CC community may have some questions about this project. We have tried to answer those questions below, but we invite you to contact your liaison librarian or Carol Dickerson, Library Director (x6671) with questions.
Why do we need to withdraw bound journals?
Tutt Library is out of space for bound journals, and will soon have to stack them on the floor! By withdrawing those journals that are available in the JSTOR archive, the library could free well over 1,500 linear feet of shelving. The College is beginning to plan for a new library building, but building space to shelve journals when there is good alternative access would be a waste of resources.
Will Tutt withdraw all JSTOR titles?
Faculty will have an opportunity to review all the title lists. Titles that have special features like color plates will be reviewed more carefully, and the quality of images on JSTOR compared.
Tutt has a great collection of late 19th Century and early 20th Century journals. Will these be withdrawn?
These are the journals currently shelved in the "pre-1915" area on the second floor south. There are only a few JSTOR titles among these, and we will give special consideration to their preservation.
How can we be sure that we will always have access to the electronic archive of JSTOR titles?
JSTOR is a collaborative preservation project by libraries and the Mellon Foundation to create a stable model for electronic journal archives. All participating libraries, including CC, contribute funds through an "archive fee" for preservation of the digital record. JSTOR is considered the most stable of any electronic archive. Read more about JSTOR archiving practices.
What will happen to Tutt's current subscriptions to JSTOR journals?
These current subscriptions will not be affected. We will continue to get these journals in print and hold them in the Current Periodicals section on Tutt second floor until JSTOR has electronically archived those issues. Then those printed copies will be discarded. We will no longer bind journals that are duplicated in JSTOR (with the exceptions of those journals we choose not to withdraw [see above]).
Are any complete paper archives for JSTOR journals available?
The JSTOR organization is creating several paper archives. In addition, the Center for Research Libraries in Chicago is building an archive. CC is a member of CRL and will donate needed volumes. In Colorado, the PASCAL (Preservation and Access Service Center for Colorado Academic Libraries) storage facility in Denver is being used by CU-Boulder, DU and the CU Health Sciences Library to store JSTOR volumes. CC can borrow these materials via Prospector and is in discussions with PASCAL about contributing JSTOR volumes that do not duplicate PASCAL holdings. Other regional library consortia throughout the country are also creating JSTOR archives.
What are other libraries doing with their JSTOR back files?
JSTOR has conducted a bound volume survey which indicates that a growing percentage of libraries are moving JSTOR journals to remote storage or discarding them.
The Oberlin Group - an organization of 74 liberal arts college libraries, including Tutt Library - conducted a survey of their membership in 2004. Of the 37 college libraries that responded:
- 22 (59%) quit binding some titles
- 11 (30%) cancelled some subscriptions [unexpected!]
- 17 (46%) disposed of at least some issues (total from #3 & #4)
- 14 (38%) disposed of entire runs up to the moving wall
- 7 (19%) moved issues to on-campus storage
- 11 (30%) moved issues to off-campus storage
Those libraries that have moved issues to storage facilities report that requests for retrieval range from 0 in 4 years to one or two request per year.
Why not just store these volumes somewhere "just in case?"
As the Oberlin Group survey found, use of relocated volumes is minimal. Libraries that have stored JSTOR volumes temporarily have just delayed an ultimate decision to withdraw, adding labor and storage costs to the process.
What will Tutt do with the withdrawn journals?
First we will check with CRL to see if we can contribute to their archive.
If PASCAL will accept the volumes, we will send them there.
We will offer withdrawn volumes on various email lists to other libraries. However, JSTOR titles are widely available now. Some bound journals will be recycled.
