Abstract:
There are a number of significant factors that affect the capability of scientific research libraries to make available a broad range of journal titles to their users. Of most importance is the growing number of journal titles in any specialist discipline, which forces libraries to make decisions about the depth of coverage of a discipline. The growth in the number of journals is complicated by the constantly changing nature of scientific research disciplines. As the focus of a scientific research discipline changes, journal coverage also changes in response to this. Journals are split into separate fields, they subtly change focus over time, they merge, they cease publication or spawn related publications. New titles appear in competition with established titles or in response to a perceived market gap or niche. Pressure on library budgets as a whole and serials budgets in particular, forces tough decisions to be made about continuation or cancellation of journal subscriptions. This dilemma is commonly referred to in the library and information science literature as the 'serials crisis'.
