Department of Information Science

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Browsing Department of Information Science by Subject "Academic libraries -- Collection development"

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    Characteristics and availability of journal literature used by biomedical researchers in South Africa
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 1991-12) Steynberg, Susan; Rossouw, S. F.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Information Science.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The management of especially academic libraries need to justify the expenditure on staff, equipment and materials to the top management at universities which are in the throes of economically stringent times. Document delivery is seen as one of the core functions an academic information service performs and thus an appropriate target for objective assessment The present project focuses on the document delivery capability of the academic medical libraries in South Africa. A dual research protocol is employed. Firstly the characteristics of the journal literature used by the South African biomedical researchers are analysed and described. The availability of these publications are subsequently investigated. The journal articles published in 1989 by the target group provides the source data for the project. These articles, augmented by a representative sample of the references cited, are analysed according to established bibliometric criteria. The resulting description of characteristics is significant in its comparability with similar international studies. Subsequently, an empirical document delivery test is conducted at all seven the academic medical libraries in South Africa to establish the availability quotient of the identified journal citations. A hypothetical national average is also calculated. A high availability rate was found at all the test libraries. Academic libraries are at present forced to cancel journal subscriptions. It is crucially important that such cancellations should be handled on a rational basis thereby limiting the damage to what is collectively considered a national asset This is only possible through national cooperation under the auspices of the CUP. This study was intended as an indicator of the current state of availability of biomedical journal literature in South Africa. It is recommended that the same methodology be used for follow-up studies to control these results and to monitor future availability trends.