Periodical Subscription Request

Considerations for acquisition of new Periodicals

Periodicals differ from monographs in that a periodical subscription is an ongoing financial commitment for the library. In addition, periodical publishers charge higher prices for libraries than they do for individuals. Taking into consideration the issue that periodicals prices also increase at a rate that far exceeds such standard economic indicators as the Consumer Price Index, great care must be taken to make the best use of available financial resources.

It is important that all requests for new periodical subscriptions be examined carefully in relation to the educational mission and limited financial resources of the Library.

In order to support the teaching mission of USF, the highest priorities will be given to journal subscriptions that support the university curriculum while balancing requests for new material with the academic need that existing subscriptions be continued.

Some or all of the following criteria are used in evaluating titles for acquisition or cancellation:

• support of present academic curriculum
• strength of the existing collection in the title's subject area
• present use of other serials in this subject area
• projected future use
• cost
• reputation of journal and the publisher

Additional information:

• Online Availability. In cases where an online subscription is available and the cost is reasonable in comparison to a print subscription, the library will subscribe to the online version.
• If Gleeson Library currently has access to a requested title through an electronic database, we are less likely to consider purchase of a paper copy.

• Justification. Each request for a new subscription must be accompanied by a written statement justifying the need for the journal (see request form below). We especially will be looking for indications that a requested journal will support teaching, but other considerations might include the number of faculty interested in its purchase, its usefulness to more than one department, whether it is necessary for accreditation, etc.
  
  
• Timeline:  Most new journal subscriptions will begin the January following the receipt of the request. Requests submitted by early September will give the library time to evaluate the request, complete the order process and begin receiving issues at the start of the following year.

Periodical Subscription Request Form

You may also fill out a paper form.

Faculty Member Name:

Phone:

Email:

Department:

Title of Periodical:

Publisher, if known:

Please comment on:

1. The relevance of this periodical to the curriculum:

2. Specific courses in which this periodical will be used (those taught by other faculty as well as the requester):

3. What body of information this periodical covers that is currently not covered by other publications in the collection:

4. The relationship of this periodical to similar publications presently received by the library:

5. The interdisciplinary value of this periodical, or which other disciplines may find it useful: