Undergraduate Use Patterns of Newspapers on Microfilm
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WILLIAM J. MAHER and BENJAMIN .F. SHEARER Undergraduate Use Patterns of Newspapers on Microfilm This analysis, based on undergraduate use patterns of neu;spapers on mi crofilm at the ( ni t.:e rsity of Illinois, presents criteria , Su ch as number of ti tles, dates requested , and existence of indexes, that should be considered u;hen purchasing microfilmed newspapers for the highest possible benefit in tenns of money spent. Statistics on use suggest that a user satisfaction let;el of almost 85 percent can be attained u;ith a trcenty-year backfile of ttcenty titles. The analysis presented is offered as one step in det;elopment of an aCl(llisitions policy for nercspapers on microfilm. IN RECENT YEARS newspapers have become for a newspaper acquisitions policy, and this increasingly important reference and re article will attempt to establish criteria for search sources for ·a wide variety of users on the development of a policy for newspapers college and university campuses. They pro on microfilm for undergraduate users in vide original documentation for events that medium-size and small four-year colleges are too recent to be covered in monographs and universities. It is based on an analysis and professional journals or that have been of undergraduate use at the newspaper li bypassed by the traditional literature of his brary of the University of Illinois at tory, political science, economics, and the Urbana-Champaign during the peak periods other social sciences and humanities. News of the 1976177 academic year. papers are particularly attractive and useful While the conclusions presented here to undergraduates for course papers and may not hold true for all libraries, the class projects on a variety of subjects. methodology will be valid and should direct They do, however, present librarians with librarians to the formulation of policies for several unique problems. Because of their the selection and purchase of newspapers on physical nature, storage and preservation microfilm. are difficult. While microfilm does represent a solution, newspapers still present obsta USER SURVEY cles because of the high cost of microfilm Before presenting use statistics and runs and because of the lack of bibliographic guidelines for acquisition, it is useful to de control over their content. Moreover, since scribe the holdings and operations of the newspapers are general in their subject newspaper library at Illinois. With more coverage, the determination of potential than 63,000 reels of microfilmed newspa users is difficult. Undoubtedly, these factors pers , the library holds about 324 U.S. and contribute to the lack of professional litera 262 foreign titles. While the collection is ture on newspapers as library materials. 1 particularly strong in Illinois titles, there are Few libraries have developed guidelines large microfilm runs for metropolitan news papers in at least twenty-five states and in fourteen European and fourteen non William ]. Maher is newspaper librarian, Uni versity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and European countries. There are strong hold Benjamin F. Shearer is government documents/ ings in such areas as labor, religious, liter law librarian, East Tennessee State University, ary, and black newspapers. johnson City, Tennessee . Because of an annual use of at least 254 I Undergraduate Use Patterns I 255 20,000 reels of microfilm, 2 it is possible to search materials. The purpose of under analyze the exact nature of undergraduate graduate use is also instructive: During No interest in newspapers from statistics main vember 1976 and April 1977, 85.5 percent tained on their use. When requesting film, of undergraduate use was for course pa all users complete a reference card on pers (the other· types of use recorded were which they record the desired title and " research for publication," "dissertation/ dates as well as information regarding their thesis research," " classroom use, " and purpose and status (i.e., faculty, graduate "other") . student, undergraduate, and public). To identify those newspapers that will These cards are used for all titles except satisfy the most requests at the lowest cost, the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, the following analysis studies titles re and the Wall Street Journal. Because de quested, dates requested, and the impor mand for these three titles is very high, tance of an index for use. they are stor~d in microfilm cabinets freely accessible to all patrons. All other titles are TITLES REQUESTED shelved in a restricted area, and patrons Since newspapers on microfilm represent complete the reference card to request large investments, libraries must seek some them. The cards provide the basis for the assurance that the money spent yields an current analysis. acceptable cost-benefit ratio when com While the three most popular titles-New pared to the level of satisfaction of user York Times, Chicago Tribune, and Wall needs. The case in favor of such basic titles Street Journal-are not includ~d in these as the New York Times , Wall Street jour statistics, these titles are of such importance nal, and Chicago Tribune is clear, but the that they should be considered basic items case for purchasing other newspaper titles is for any college and university library. While far more complex. the Chicago Tribune is heavily used at Illi The geographical factor is perhaps the nois because of its local appeal, it is of na single most obvious element that influences tional importance and should be a priority undergraduate use of newspapers on mi for many libraries, especially those in the crofilm. Thus the statistics presented here Midwest. (Another regional ·substitute might on titles requested at Illinois should not be be the Washington Post.) Any library not taken as an inflexible acquisitions policy holding the New York Times and the Wall statement for other libraries. Some general Street Journal should regard these as the principles on undergraduate use patterns first titles to acquire on microfilm. The New do, however, emerge from these data, and York Times, in particular, should be a top these can be applied to any undergraduate priority because of its importance and be library in terms of both titles and dates that cause it is indexed for its entire run. Be may offer the greatest benefits for money yond these basic titles, acquisitions policy spent. can be determined best by an analysis of Table 1 shows user demand according to undergraduate use. titles requested during November 1976 and At the University of Illinois newspaper li April 1977. As this table indicates, under brary, two months~November and April graduate use of newspapers on microfilm consistently account for the highest use of during the two peak use months of the year film for the period from 1973 to 1977. This was restricted to forty-nine titles (excluding reflects a heavy demand by undergraduates the New York Times , Wall Street Journal, in order to complete their course work as and Chicago Tribune ). Of the titles re each semester draws to a close. While quested, thirteen (26.5 percent) were titles undergraduates annually account for 37 per no longer published ("dead"), but in terms cent of use, during the months of Novem of total use these titles accounted for only ber and April they account for 49 percent. sixteen requests (5. 7 percent). The over This fact justifies the isolation of these whelming number of requests were then for months for the current study. The use dur currently published ("live") titles. ing this period illustrates the importance The level of user satisfaction increases as undergraduates place on newspapers as re- more titles are added. The data show that 256 I College & Research Libraries • May 1979 TABLE 1 nificant factors. All of the top twenty titles NEWSPAPER TITLES ON MICROFILM requested w~re English-language titles, and REQUESTED BY UNDERGRADUATES, the London Times was the only foreign title NOVEMBER 1976 AND APRIL 1977, in the top twenty. Black newspapers also BY NUMBER OF REQUESTS received relatively high usage-four of the Number of top twenty were black papers (Chicago De Title Requests fender , New York Amsterdam News, 1. Dailh Illini 31 2. Was ington Post 31 Pittsburgh Courier, and Los Angeles Sen 3. Morning Courier (Champaign) 30 tinel). 4. Los Angeles Times 22 The statistics on titles requested point to 5. News-Gazette (Champaign) 19 some important conclusions. A high level of 6. St. Louis Post-Dispatch 13 7. Chicago Daily News 11 user satisfaction can be attained with rela 8. Times (London) 11 tively few newspaper titles on microfilm. 9. San Francisco Chronicle 8 Aside from the school newspaper, six titles 10. Chicago Defender 7 (including the two local papers; two titles 11 . New York Amsterdam News 7 12. Atlanta Constitution 7 from nearby metropolitan areas, such as the 13. Chicago ·Sun-Times 6 St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Chicago Sun 14. Christian Science Monitor 6 Times; and two titles of national promi 15. Pittsburgh Courier 6 nence, e.g., the Washington Post and the 16. Village Voice 5 17. Los Angeles Sentinel 4 Los Angeles Times) could well satisfy 50 18. Detroit Free Press 4 percent of all requests. It is necessary, 19. Illinois State therefore, that libraries consider geograph Journal-Register 4 ical bias, country of origin, language, and 20. Louisville Courier-Journal 4 21. New York Herald special topics taught in the curricula (e.g., Tribune (Dead) 4 black studies) when deciding to purchase 22. Cleveland Plain Dealer 3 microfilmed newspaper titles to meet user 23. Dallas Morning News 3 demands as precisely as possible. 24. National Observer 3 25. Norfolk Journal & Guide 3 DATES REQUESTED 26. Cincinnati Enquirer 2 27. Michigan Chronicle 2 Consideration should also be given to the 28. New Orleans Times-Picafune 2 dates requested. An investment in large 29-49.