2014-02-06

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Library is actively working with the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) to develop and contribute to a Shared Print Repository for widely duplicated journal literature. Over the last decade, research libraries have sought to maximize their institutional investments in physical space. This has become an easier task as journals moved online, libraries acquired more digital backfile content, and research followed. Recently, the CIC libraries collaborated to establish a print journal repository that will hold materials in common for the membership, allowing individual institutions to make retention decisions with the assurance that a print copy will be retained to serve the needs of scholars.

Focusing initially on content from publishers such as Elsevier, Wiley, and Springer, the CIC’s effort now focuses on content that is already available online. As the University of Illinois begins implementing this program locally, it will begin withdrawing duplicate copies of titles from these publishers as copies are verified as being both held within the Shared Print Repository and available to Illinois’ users through the Library’s purchases of digitized backfiles. The effort to remove duplicate copies will make valuable space available for more scarcely-held materials.

“After a thorough examination of duplicate titles held within the repository, we are reducing our local physical holdings to one copy with the intent of identifying additional shelving to house more uncommon monographs and print-only publications,” said Associate University Librarian for Collections and Technical Services and Assistant Dean of Libraries Tom Teper. “These materials comprise a significant part of the cultural record that research libraries like ours preserve, and as an institution of record, dedicating our space to housing rarely held items enhances our ability to preserve those resources.”

“The University Library has given careful consideration to the availability and preservation of its collection,” said University Librarian and Dean of Libraries John Wilkin. “Removing duplicate copies will allow us to make room for more unique materials that are important to the University, to Illinois, and to a community of scholars.”

Materials held in common by the CIC will be available for borrowing from its state-of-the-art storage facility at Indiana University. For more information about the CIC Shared Print Repository, visit http://www.cic.net/projects/library/shared-print-repository .

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