Advances in collection management: the use of technology to create a new basic list of veterinary serials

The original 1977 Basic List of Veterinary Serials, a classic collection management tool for veterinary librarians, was last updated in 1986. A new list has long been overdue. The Veterinary Serials Committee of the Veterinary Medical Libraries Section/Medical Library Association has been working on a new edition, taking advantage of new technologies and selection tools.Objectives: To provide a current list of the most important veterinary journals for veterinary librarians, as well as agricultural, animal health and medical librarians wanting to add a veterinary component to their journal collections.Methods: Librarians at all AVMA accredited veterinary schools were asked to assign level of importance to individual journal titles via an online survey tool. These results were used in a weighted formula, in combination with variables such as impact factor, required readings for AVMA Specialty Board certification, and where indexed.Results: A new Basic List has been compiled. This list represents a core list containing substantive veterinary medical journals that are absolutely essential to the veterinary medical library, regardless of the research thrust of the college, and provides a starting point upon which to build a collection based on the research objectives and goals of the local institution.Conclusions: With the use of online survey technology, input from the veterinary library community was dramatically increased. Combining librarian feedback with additional journal quality measures should make the new Basic List of Veterinary Serials a more accurate reflection of current journal usage and importance.