Abstract
Communication is an interdisciplinary study that relates to the human condition. As a discipline it contributes to a better understanding of the human element in the development of a successful democracy and pursuit of active citizenship. Scholarly journals are important library resources for many researchers. While journals can be essential in connecting researchers to relevant and timely information, they can be one of the most expensive library resources. In an ongoing climate of increasing prices for library resources and shrinking library budgets, it is important that librarians have data that helps them base collection development decisions on the needs of researchers within the respective discipline as well as those outside the discipline. Focusing on the subject area of communication, the data provided in this study demonstrate the importance of assessing the information needs of researchers from outside the discipline to build a stronger and more inclusive library collection. Citation data from 20-years of journals outside the discipline of communication were collected and analyzed. The purpose of the study is twofold: first, to identify communication journals used by researchers outside the discipline and second, to assist librarians managing communication collections. By providing data that reflect the research needs of scholars from all disciplines seeking communication studies information, librarians will have additional information to build more focused and inclusive collections.
Presenters
Lisa RomeroAssociate Professor, Head, Communications Library, Communications Librarian, Latina/o Studies Librarian, University Library, University of Illinois, Illinois, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Academic Library Collections, Communication Research, Communication Resources
