The EBSCO free subscription situtation is obviously different for Public
Libraries than it is for Academics. I wonder if there are any other PL
librarians on the list who have an opinion? We all took Collection
Development courses, often focusing on specific disciplines, but all of
those courses should have discussed community analysis and adapting to the
needs of your patrons. I can disapprove of Good Housekeeping, GQ,
Prevention and have them in my collection, just as I could really dislike
JAMA, Shakespeare Quarterly, or a half dozen other journals and have them
in the collection. Academic patrons will need academic journals (not YM),
public patrons will need popular, general interest journals (maybe YM). If
a scholarly journal sent a year's gift subscription (please suppress your
laughter) and demand became high for it, would room be made in the
collection for it? Collection development is about our special knowledge
and skills, yes. But also about how to best serve our patrons- and finding
out how to best serve our patrons should be part of our special knowledge
and skills.

Beth Horn

Elizabeth Horn
Reference and Serials Librarian
Roanoke City Public Library
Roanoke, VA
<horn_elizabeth@HOTMAIL.COM>