Access in the United States to Foreign Language LIS Scholarly Journals Through Indexing Services

Pope, Michele

IFLA Council and General Conference / .
(ReLIS:jul:juljin:6685)

Abstract:

This paper reviews results of a research study examining the availability of foreign language LIS scholarly journals through indexing services at ALA accredited LIS graduate and PhD programs in the United States. Ulrich's Periodical Directory was used to formulate the title list (273 titles) of foreign published LIS scholarly journals. Ulrich's provided a systematic method of aggregating titles to measure against the title lists provided by indexing services. For the purposes of this study, foreign language journals are defined as those published from countries other than Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, and not solely published in English.The impact of indexing services on the availability of foreign language LIS scholarly journals in the United States will be explored. Access to foreign language LIS scholarly journals is not widely available in the United States. Indexing services are a primary source for accessing research published in non- English speaking countries. If a journal is published in a non-English speaking country, it does not mean that it will automatically be published in a foreign language. Out of approximately 100 indexing services listed in Ulrich's for foreign published LIS scholarly journals, only two indexing services are commonly available in United States LIS programs. LISA and Library Literature and Information Science Abstracts (LLIA) carry 58 (21%) and 30 (11%), for a total of 88 titles, or 32% out of 273 titles. A further breakdown of the 88 titles emphasizes the critical relationship of translation to accessibility; 29 titles are published in English, 41 are published with some English translation and 18 had no translation. Ulrich's does not list all foreign published LIS scholarly journals and the final paper will examine titles found in LISA and LLIA, but not in Ulrich's. Indexing services are in a powerful position to impact the LIS knowledge base and its development. Indexing services can make editorial decisions based on what they think the market will read. The selection criteria for indexing services will be examined. Attributes of Ulrich's list of journals will be evaluated against the selection criteria in LISA and LLIA. Both universities and indexing services make journal acquisition decisions based on whether journals are included in resources such as Ulrich's and competing indexing services. Since an issue in the concept of journal quality is coverage in indexing services, foreign publishers would be prudent to investigate the selection process of indexing services to widen their market potential. An effort is needed to increase access to foreign language LIS scholarly journals in the United States. The process of providing knowledge to a global market needs review, revision and support. Journal editors, publishers and distributors all have an essential role in making information accessible. This paper will examine the front-end of information delivery and offer ideas for support, including easier access to translation,cooperative indexing, and nonprofit oversight.

Creation: 2005
Keywords: Estados Unidos ; Investigación ; Biblioteconomía ; Documentación ; Publicaciones periódicas

 (go top)