I'm reviewing our policies regarding periodicals and would be delighted to hear from other librarians. Does your library carry magazines, newspapers, newsletters? How long do you retain them? What is the criteria for selection and for retention? Are there some that are retained and bound? What about those single-page newsletters: How do you display them?
Thanks so much!
Martha
Replies
We keep our periodicals for two years before discarding. We used to bind some of them to keep permanently but only do a few now. We get the daily local newspaper too. Everything is displayed on a shelf with slanted shelves.
We try to get the most relevant Christian magazines such as Christianity Today and and a few secular ones too such as Consumer's Report. Printed magazines are not as popular as they used to be with so much available online but they still get some good use.
Martha, I have an adult table in our library. I Have a magazine cover for each copy and display them on the top of the table. I get them through Demco. I change the magazine each time a new issue comes out. The cover is plastic and has a rod on the inside that I just slip the binding of the magazine and the front and back cover slide into the sleeve of the cover.
I have a plastic magazine holder for each magazine that stores upright. I retain the magazines for a maximum of two years then I recycle the magazines. I don't have any newspapers that I offer. Does this answer your questions? BEV
Our Library carries the following:
The Lutheran Magazine (we are a Lutheran denomination). Important to have magazine based on church's denomination
Christianity Today - probably the most broad based magazine that I subscribe to because it offers the true message and not biased towards one viewpoint.
Bible Archeology - more in-depth articles on discoveries around the world
Guideposts - spiritual messages / personal stories - originated by Norman Vincent Peale
Touchstone - I just subscribed to this - hit or miss articles that I enjoy. This last issue had an interesting article on President Eisenhower's faith during his life and became a Presbyterian after being elected President as he didn't want any sway votes before election.
Do research on each magazine. If I had to limit my subscriptions to a few because of funding, I would select church denomination periodical and Christianity Today. Enjoy