Focus on identifying and strengthening the periodicals collection in order to support the research needs of students in the business, physical and natural science area. If a new program is being established or expanded then relevant serials in that area need to be acquired. If a program is in the process of being phased out, then current paper subscriptions may be cut to the minimum in order to shift those resources to other programs. Core serial lists are compilations of serial titles considered to be essential to a subject area. For the liberal arts college library, it covers basic core list of periodicals needed to support the undergraduate curriculum.
User input is valuable, especially in academic libraries.
The periodicals librarian needs to be in close contact with faculty members in order to solicit their input. Rely on serial reviews to identify appropriate titles for the collection. Serials Review - Evaluates all types of serials in all disciplines. Use of indices owned by the Library can also be another useful way to serial selection and evaluation. A title covered by a well known indexing or abstracting service is an indication not only of the quality of the title but is potential usefulness.