Indexes and abstracts, Part 2

Just to clear up any confusion, the list of indexes and abstracts we're wanting to remove only refers to the print copies. I included the database title in parentheses as a useful reminder of where the index could now be found, but have since had a couple of worried e-mails. Rest assured that those databases are completely safe! My apologies for any distress, and thank you to those who have given me feedback.

W(h)ither print indexes and abstracts?

We have a lot of indexes and abstracts in the Library; now rarely used due to the rise of electronic databases. These range from the majestic Chemical Abstracts (127 shelves worth) to the more specialised Zinc in Agriculture (1 box). Many we no longer subscribe to, and for some our holdings are completely duplicated online. This being the case, we would like to make our reference collection on Level 2 much more workable by removing most of the indexes/abstracts to stack. Those that we do still recieve, we would keep the most recent 10 years in the reference collection.

We are also considering removing from the collection completely some of the abstracts that are online. These are:

• Chemical Abstracts (SciFinder Scholar),
• Science Citation Index (Web of Science),
• Mathematical Reviews (MathSciNet),
• Index to scientific and technical proceedings, from 1990 onwards (Web of Knowledge)
• Analytical Abstracts, from 1978 onwards (Analytical WebBase)
• World Textile abstracts (World Textiles),
• Anthropological Index (Anthopological Index Online)

Before we do this however, we do want to know if the removal of the print versions would be a serious disadvantage for academic staff. Please let me know your thoughts, either by commenting on this post, or by e-mailing me at K.Chisholm@massey.ac.nz.