2 messages:

1)------------------------------

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: Circulating periodicals -- Jennifer Keach
Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 08:45:14 -0500
From: Lori Thornton <lthornton@cn.edu>
Reply-To: lthornton@cn.edu

We allow students to check out 3 periodicals (including current ones)
for 1
day at Carson-Newman.  I had never worked in a library with this policy
before and was a bit skeptical; however, it really has not been that
bad.
I don't see any more loss or mutiliation than I'd expect otherwise--and
perhaps even a bit less than if we had a more restrictive policy.  Since
we
send a bill for replacement costs and processing fairly quickly, they
usually return them.

Lori Thornton, Asst. Prof.
Technology & Serials Librarian
Carson-Newman College
Jefferson City  TN  37760
lthornton@cn.edu

2)--------------------------------
-------- Original Message --------
  Subject: Re: Circulating periodicals -- Jennifer Keach
    Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 08:34:39 -0600
    From: Karen Chobot <karen_chobot@NDSCS.NODAK.EDU>

Good morning.

We are a two year technical college with FTE of 2400 students.  We have
about 800 print periodical subscriptions, and we have always circulated
them.  The circulation period is for one week, with 2 renewals if
necessary.   The magazines are housed in closed stacks and must be
requested and checked out even to view in the library.  This works very
well for us, even now when so many students want things online, since
much of what we subscribe to is not available yet online.  We have a
small loss rate and almost no mutilation.  Every issue is barcoded when
it is checked in on PALS.  We keep a display rack of current issues of
popular titles, in plastic folders with a security strip, and these
issues are the ones we lose most often.  We only bind about 50 titles
for permanent use and discard most of the others after 5 or 10 years.
So the loss of a single issue is not particularly troubling to us.
Bound issues are also checked out for 3 days, and this is never a
problem.  At present, most of the bound use is for photocopying the
needed article in any case.

I have been in 2 other libraries where we checked out individual issues,
neither of which bound items.  One was a community college and one was a
hospital library.  The loss rate at the hospital was small, bigger at
the community college.  In every case, we felt it important to check out
items to supplement a small monograph collection and meet the needs of
students whose main concern is getting a paper done as cheaply as
possible.  In each case we also have had cheap and convenient
photocopying, which helps students to do the right thing
easily.

As the instruction librarian, I want to see periodical use made as
convenient as possible for students so they will use appropriate
materials instead of convenient materials.  Our periodical circulation
has dropped significantly in the 6 years I have been  here as we add
more and more online databases.  I suspect print use will disappear
entirely in a few more years, so in the meantime, I want the students to
have the best use possible.

I hope this helps your decision making.  Karen.

> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: circulating periodicals
> Date: Fri, 9 Feb 2001 16:16:05 -0500
> From: Jennifer Keach <jkeach@bridgewater.edu>
>
> Hello all,
>
> I'm interested in learning about different academic libraries' policies
> on
> circulating periodicals to patrons, particularly undergraduates.  Out of
> the building, that is.  Is there anyone out there that circulates
> current
> periodicals?  If you restrict circulation to older bound volumes, how
> old?
>
> I'm assuming that most libraries do not circulate periodicals, so no
> need
> to respond if you believe you are in the majority.  If you've
> experienced
> both circulating and noncirculating periodicals and have anecdotes on
> the
> pros and cons of each, though, I'd like to hear from you.
>
> If anyone has already dug up statistics on this subject, I'd welcome
> them,
> as well as pointers to published research.
>
> Thank you,
> Jennifer
>
> Jennifer Keach
> Collection Development Librarian
> Alexander Mack Memorial Library
> Bridgewater College
> Bridgewater, VA 22812