Using publication lists and citation data to evaluate the biology journal collection at an academic library

Abstract

It is important that a library's journal collection reflects the research needs of faculty and graduates. A study was made of the School of Biological Sciences at Victoria University of Wellington. Journal titles cited by faculty were downloaded from SciSearch on Dialog and compared to journals cited in a sample of thesis bibliographic references. The most commonly cited journals differed significantly between graduates and faculty. Citations differed significantly from the journals most often published in by faculty. Graduates and faculty combined did not cite more than fifty percent of biology journals in the library's collection. Journal collection management decisions should consider the needs of both faculty and graduates. A measure of journals cited by one group does not well indicate those cited by the other group.