-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: Periodical retention -- Martha Coleman
Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2001 08:59:47 -0400
From: Sharon Wieczorek <swieczor@MERCYHURST.EDU>
Organization: Mercyhurst College

Dear Martha,

Some thoughts of mine:
"If we do not learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it." Learning
about events does not mean learning about history. There is the other
aspect of the psychological era of the times and Time magazine would
have
the mindset of the period. Hindsight is not the best way to learn about
history because people today do not think the way people thought in that
period of time. The thinking process of people is more important than
the
events because the mindset of any period is history. Any news magazine
of
an era would show the mindset at that time and how people could be
manipulated into thinking a certain way which created the atmosphere for
an
event or history to take place.

Sharon Wieczorek

> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: Periodical retention
> Date: Fri, 8 Jun 2001 16:08:04 -0500
> From: Martha Coleman <mcoleman@westark.edu>
>
> I have looked through the serialst archives and cannot find a post
> where I know this was discussed.  I am looking for general statements
> for our periodicals collection development policy of why we might
> retain Time Magazine or other general titles from 1925 forward.  Our
> library is fairly new and most of our subscriptions begin mid-70's.  We
> have few runs of periodicals that would give students a feel for what
> life was like before they were born.  In our electronic environment, it
> sometimes seems that if something didn't happen within the last 10
> years and isn't in electronic full text then it didn't happen or it
> couldn't be important enough to care about.  I want students to be able
> to pull random volumes from the shelves, browse, and visually get a
> feel for life in the 30's.  For example, there is much to be learned
> from looking at advertisements or reading articles written with the
> passion of the present.
>
> I don't have a problem justifying the retention of titles  that support
> a specific program or leisure-reading titles or most "core" titles but
> I'm having trouble articulating the need for historical coverage.
> Could someone give me a few well-turned phrases?  Thank you for your
> help.
> Martha Coleman
> Westark College
> Fort Smith, AR