---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 12:27:59 -0500
From: "MD_Buddy (Buddy Pennington)" <MD_Buddy@KCLIBRARY.ORG>
Subject: Re: Disappearing microform titles (2 messages)

It's nice for publishers to put their archives on the web, but I am sure
they won't have it accessible for free for long.  That is why they are
cancelling the film, because it doesn't pay.

Also, film is nice because it is centralized and easily arranged.  We have
over 500 current titles on film and several hundred more non-current titles
but they are all shelved in alphabetical order and easy to find.  If
publishers start putting this up, then we will have hundreds of URLS to
worry about.  That will be a cataloging nightmare.  There are archives out
there (ECO, JSTOR), but they are few and contain mainly STM titles and
academic titles.

And you also have patrons to think about.  While many of our patrons grumble
about using microfilm, far more grumble about using the computer to access
magazine articles.  This may not be the case in academic libraries, but it
is the case at our library.

My point is that it isn't film vs. web that is at stake, it is the
diminishing of formats fo retention.  While film has its problems, it beats
the crap out of the internet in terms of archiving and permanent access.
When you own something you decide when to get rid of it.  When you rent or
lease something (like access to web archives) you have no say in the manner.

Buddy Pennington
Document Delivery Librarian
Kansas City Public Library
md_buddy@kclibrary.org
816-701-3552