Subscriptions are the most expensive content procured by the library. Extreme care should be exercised in acquiring new subscription content with only the most deserving content being added. Once embedded in classes, it is difficult to cancel subscription content.
In Favor of Selection
- Recommended by multiple faculty, serving a specific purpose, and responding to a specific need with clear support for the university curriculum and demonstrated need through interlibrary loan requests.
- Scholarly, peer reviewed content, especially journals with high impact factors.
- Unique full text content not duplicating existing content.
- Little or no embargo for full text content
- Content indexed in discovery system.
- Compatible with access control system.
Opposed to Selection
- Index-only databases.
- Individual journal subscriptions.
- Subscriptions intended to support individual faculty scholarship.
- Popular content which does not directly support the NU curriculum.
- Print or microfiche periodicals.
- Not indexed in discovery system.
- Not compatible with access control system.
Other Considerations
- Specialized databases should be limited to those areas supporting graduate degrees
- Pay-per-view journal databases.
