SLA Annual Conference 2003

Abstract

This piece of the program focused on a journal value project conducted at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. In the tradition of Henry Barschall's work in the late 1980's, cost per character data was collected for 1520 journals. Dividing a journal's cost per 1000 characters by its ISI Impact Factor provides a more comprehensive measure of its value than cost or Impact Factor alone can offer. Because this method of evaluation could benefit all librarians, the data collected will be made publicly available through a web-based database later this year. It is expected that future collaboration with interested institutions will update and expand the database to include a broader list of titles over an extended number of years.