This document discusses factors to consider when selecting serials for a library collection. Serial publications like journals, magazines, and newspapers require long-term commitments as they are intended to continue indefinitely. This means that serial costs become a fixed part of the budget each year and occupy more storage space over time. When deciding whether to subscribe to a serial, librarians must weigh the ongoing costs of subscriptions, processing, packaging, and potential photocopying against how patrons will access the information and whether to purchase back issues.

1. MORE THAN BOOKS:
SELECTION AND
ACQUISITION OF NON-
BOOKS MATERIALS
SERIALS:

2. SERIALS:
ALA define serial as “a publication issued in
successive parts, usually at regular intervals and
as a rule, intended to be continued indefinitely.
Serials include periodicals, annuals, magazines,
newspapers, tabloids, proceedings, transactions
of societies and memoirs.”

3. SERIALS: SAMPLES
•Proceedings – are the collection of academic papers that
are published in the context of an academic conference.
They are usually distributed as printed books after the
conference has closed. Proceedings contain the papers of
the researchers at the conference. They are the written
record of the work that is presented to fellow researchers.
•Newsletter – is a regularly
distributed publication
generally about one topic
that is of interest to its
subscribers. Newsletters are
published by clubs,
churches, societies,
associations, and
businesses, especially
companies. This provides
information of interest to
their members, customers or
employees.

4. SERIALS: SAMPLES
•Newspaper – is a written publication
containing news, information and
advertising, usually printed on low-cost
paper called newsprint. It often features
articles on political event, crime, business,
art/entertainment, society and sports.
Popular magazines – are
publications, generally
published on a regular
schedule, containing a variety
of articles.

5. SERIALS: SAMPLES
• Referred materials are of high quality. The contents,
articles and manuscripts included in these publications
are reviewed and evaluated by experts. The purpose of
this is to protect, maintain and raise the quality of
scholarly materials published in serials.
• This must contain graph and charts
• Author includes a list of cited sources in footnotes and/or
bibliography
• Includes limited advertisements related to that example :
scholarly books or publication subject field
• Terminology used is specific to a subject discipline
• Found in libraries and other academic, medical or
scientific settings
• Articles approved by author’s peers of Editorial Boards
• Long articles 7 + pages.JOURNAL

6. FACTORS WHICH AFFECT THE
DECISION IN SELECTING SERIALS
A decision to subscribe to or place a standing order for a serial is a much bigger
decision than for a book.
1. A serial normally implies a long-term commitment, but under some vendors plans,
the renewal is automatic without any further decision from the collection
development staff.
2. Because of the long term commitment, the cost of the subscription become almost
a fixed feature of the budget and each year takes an increasing proportion of the
total materials budgets.
3. Another “fixed” cost is processing.
4. On-going cost to package each serial year after year.

7. 5. Serials are not only taking up an ever-increasing percentage of the total funds
available for collection development, they are also occupying a greater portion of
the available storage space.
6. An important consideration in serials selection is how the patron gains access to the
information each issue contains.
7. Serials have also tendency to increase the volume of photocopying activities.
Photocopying is a legal or a copyright issue.
8. Finally, if a library is not starting a subscription with volume 1 Number 1, the
librarian also make a decision regarding back issues or volumes.
FACTORS WHICH AFFECT THE
DECISION IN SELECTING SERIALS