Clear as Glass: A Combined List of Print and Electronic Journals in the Knowledge Base

Abstract

The non-standard practice at Cowles Library at Drake University has been to display electronic journals and some print journals in the Knowledge Base while simultaneously listing print journals and some electronic journals in the online public access catalog (OPAC). The result was a system that made it difficult for patrons to determine our journal holdings while not providing any benefits to our technical services department. Whether or not to display electronic holdings with print holdings in the OPAC is a frequently debated question. For institutions that do not have the cataloging or technical services staff to keep up with constantly changing electronic holdings, a better question is whether or not to add the print holdings to the list of electronic resources (a knowledge base). The library has listed all journal holdings (print and electronic) in the knowledge base. At the same time, Cowles Library reevaluated its procedure regarding the display of electronic journals in the OPAC. By addressing these issues, Cowles Library hopes that it has implemented changes that will better serve librarians, faculty, and students. This article discusses the procedure changes implemented primarily to aid users but also to streamline and standardize workflows for staff.