Representations of the Alternative Press in Academic Library Collections Rita A

Reference and Instruction Publications and Papers Reference and Instruction 7-1998 Representations of the Alternative Press in Academic Library Collections Rita A. Marinko Iowa State University Kristin H. Gerhard Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/refinst_pubs Part of the Collection Development and Management Commons The ompc lete bibliographic information for this item can be found at http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ refinst_pubs/61. For information on how to cite this item, please visit http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ howtocite.html. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Reference and Instruction at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Reference and Instruction Publications and Papers by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Representations of the Alternative Press in Academic Library Collections Abstract This study uses the list of periodicals indexed by Alternative Press Index to examine the holdings rates of alternative press titles in U.S. ARL libraries. Holdings rates are examined by library, by title, and by subject category. Alternative press titles are not widely held in U.S. ARL libraries. Titles falling into categories such as leftist/Marxist politics, gay/lesbian, and labor are particularly underrepresented in library holdings, as are titles that are newsletters or magazines. The impact of these low holdings rates on scholars, students, and archival library collections is discussed. Disciplines Collection Development and Management Comments This article is from College and Research Libraries 59 (1998): 362–376. Posted with permission. This article is available at Iowa State University Digital Repository: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/refinst_pubs/61 362 College & Research Libraries July 1998 Representations of the Alternative Press in Academic Library Collections Rita A. Marinko and Kristin H. Gerhard This study uses the list of periodicals indexed by Alternative Press In dex to examine the holdings rates of alternative press titles in U.S. ARL libraries. Holdings rates are examined by library, by title, and by subject category. Alternative press titles are not widely held in U.S. ARL libraries. Titles falling into categories such as leftist/Marxist politics, gay/lesbian, and labor are particularly underrepresented in library holdings, as are titles that are newsletters or magazines. The impact of these low holdings rates on scholars, students, and archival library collections is discussed. he importance of a free press Literature Review to democracy is a frequently Impact of Selection Strategies on Alterna- repeated sentiment among li tive Press Holdings brarians. Articles in library Librarians work within limited budgets journals often address issues of censor and must be selective in making periodi ship and the representation of all view cal purchases. Selection implies some points on controversial issues. One as judgment of a periodical’s value. One pect of the freedom of the press that has common measure of periodical value is been little discussed, however, is the citation rates, which yield numerical mea actual place of the alternative press in sures that can be used to justify the ac library collections. According to Ellen quisition or cancellation of particular E. Embardo, “alternative publications titles. According to Thomas E. Nisonger, constitute primary research materials, providing an invaluable record of so Citation analysis is based on the as cial and political movements for radi sumption that documents cited by cal change.”1 How well are academic a researcher have been used in the libraries meeting the need for scholarly research process . Major uses of access to alternative press titles? This citation analysis pertinent to collec study uses the list of periodicals in tion evaluation include identifying dexed by Alternative Press Index to ex the core collection, using citations amine the holdings rates of alternative as a checklist, ranking journals, and press titles in ARL libraries. analyzing a discipline’s structure to Rita A. Marinko is a Reference Librarian/Assistant Professor in Parks Library at Iowa State University; e-mail: [email protected]. Kristin H. Gerhard is a Catalog Librarian/Associate Professor in Parks Library at Iowa State University; e-mail: [email protected]. 362 Representations of the Alternative Press 363 assist collection management deci or lack of a significant content, is equally sion making.2 unlikely to register on selector librarians’ radar. These periodicals are then It seems logical that citation analysis uncited—their ideas lost to scholars, no should allow identification of titles that matter how relevant the ideas may be to are absolutely central to a discipline or the scholarly enterprise at hand or to so topic. Thura Mack, for instance, found ciety at large. citation analysis useful in identifying a Second, periodicals that are difficult to core of women’s studies periodicals, and obtain cannot be cited. Danny P. Wallace a number of studies use citation analysis and Bert R. Boyce identified a significant in this way.3 But reliance on usage of pe relationship between holdings and some riodicals as demonstrated through their citation measures in some subject areas.5 rate of citation can have a narrowing im Although the relationship over all eight pact on academic collections. subjects they examined is variable and sometimes weak, the existence of any re lationship at all highlights the difficulties A periodical that brings a specific of relying too heavily on citation analy viewpoint to a collection thus can sis for broad selection. have a value that cannot be mea sured by the frequency with which it is cited. Studies of Bias in Library Collections A less measurable aspect of periodical value is contained in the ideas it presents. Anna H. Perrault’s examination of The role of libraries in promoting plural changes in ARL library holdings from ism is cited often as central to the role of 1985 to 1989 revealed a definite increase libraries in a democratic society. It is im in homogeneity among these libraries.4 possible to have a meaningful discussion Her findings included “a decrease in the on issues of the day without access to a percentage of unique titles in many sub broad representation of the viewpoints ject areas, and an increased concentration held in society at large. A periodical that on core materials.” brings a specific viewpoint to a collection Periodical citation measures are related thus can have a value that cannot be mea to factors other than the value of periodi sured by the frequency with which it is cal content. For a periodical to be cited, cited. The question of bias in library col its contents must be made accessible lections is therefore an important one for through one or more indexes. That index a democratic society. must be available to researchers. The pe In a preliminary study of bias in col riodical itself then must be available ei lection development, Stephen L. Hupp ther locally or through interlibrary loan. examined the holdings of liberal and con This points up two potential weak servative books in the academic, public, links: A periodical may not be indexed or, and special libraries of Ohio.6 Although if indexed, may not be held widely the focus of this research was on identi enough to be readily available. First, pe fying political bias in library collections, riodicals that are unindexed are less avail Hupp conclude that “the state’s libraries able to scholars for citation. Indexing in have done a poor job in collecting con creases the likelihood that a periodical troversial political materials.” In his fol will be purchased by libraries because it low-up study, he compared the holdings brings titles to the attention of librarians. of five sets of periodical titles, including This creates a catch-22 situation: A peri a set of periodicals representing an alter odical that is unindexed, whether due to native perspective. Holdings of alterna newness, content out of the mainstream, tive periodicals lagged behind holdings 364 College & Research Libraries July 1998 of liberal or conservative titles. Hupp signment requiring the use of ‘alternative’ found that this alternative sample “is rep viewpoints on contemporary issues.“10 resented more fully in public libraries Embardo also points out the time sen than in academic . [and] this indicates sitivity of these materials: “once acquired, a greater willingness among such librar the material must be swiftly organized ies to include these periodical titles in and made accessible. The alternative their collections.”7 Yet one might expect press must be timely to serve those con academic library collections to provide stituencies needing today’s questions to the basis for scholarship and analysis of provide tomorrow’s answers.”11 Libraries ideas in a society, and to bring a histori that lack alternative press titles force cal understanding of the development of scholars to choose between working with those ideas. a time lag—the time it takes for a pub lished article to be indexed by an index ing service, plus the time to get the ar This research also was designed to ticle through interlibrary loan—and pur determine the relative holdings of chasing personal subscriptions to their alternative press titles in particular subject areas. research materials. Research Questions In another examination of the question This study, rather than comparing con of bias, this time in the college collection, servative and liberal titles in order to Robert L. Houbeck Jr. discussed the identify potential collection bias, looks di place of periodicals of opinion in aca rectly at the alternative press. It asks, How demic libraries.8 He found that aca widely are nonmainstream (alternative) demic libraries have been “even periodicals held in academic libraries? handed” in their selection of periodicals That is, to what extent do academic librar representing conservative and liberal ies bring nonmainstream ideas to the edu views.

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