Periodical Use and Collection Development

Abstract

Use statistics are a valuable decision-making tool, particularly in a collection that is primarily sci-tech, where high subscription costs demand periodicals be closely tied tv current teaching and research needs. Unless a commercial circulation system is available, an in-house method of recording and tabulat-ing use figures must be developed. This article gives an example of how use of periodicals in an academic environment has been recorded, how it has been built into a collection developm.ent program, and how it has focused on areas for future concern. cLARKS ON COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY is a private, four-year, coeducational institution with 215 faculty members and an enroll-ment of more than 3,000 undergraduate and approximately 250 graduate students. It of-fers five doctoral programs in science and engineering, and it provides comprehensive programs in management, the humanities, and the social sciences. Clarkson's library staff consists of six pro-fessionally trained librarians, nine clerical personnel, and fifteen to twenty student as-sistants. Library holdings include nearly 90,000 books, periodical backfiles of 39,800 bound volumes (5,000 of which are in stor-age) , 4,500 microfilm reels, and 430 vol-umes on microfiche. Single subscriptions are held for 1,300 ti-tles, 100 of which are indexing and abstract-ing services. There are 2,150 noncurrent ti-tles resulting from publication cessations, cancellations, and title changes. In addition, jacqueline A. Maxin is planning assistant/