Periodicals Services
Contents
- What are periodicals and serials?
- Where are current periodicals kept and how are they organized?
- What about earlier issues?
- How about newspapers?
- What about professional journals? What are they and where do you keep them?
- Do periodicals circulate?
- Can a periodical be copied if it's on microfilm or microfiche?
- What's the difference between microfilm and microfiche?
- How are articles in periodicals located?
- Where are the indexes located?
- How do I know which periodicals are owned by the UM Libraries?
What are periodicals and serials?
Publications issued on a regular basis are periodicals. Weekly magazines, scholarly journals and newspapers are all examples of periodicals. Serials are any periodicals, books, yearbooks, or indexes that are issued in a series. So all periodicals are serials but all serials are not periodicals.
Where are current periodicals kept and how are they organized?
In most UM Libraries, current issues of periodicals are arranged by title, in alphabetical order, in a Periodicals Room or area.
What about earlier issues?
Generally, earlier issues of periodicals are either bound together in volumes, or are available on microfilm. In most UM Libraries, bound volumes of periodical issues are found in the book stacks, where they are intershelved with the books, by call number. In most libraries, microfilm collections are arranged by call number.
What about newspapers?
Collections of newspapers are held in the Periodicals/Microforms rooms of the UMCP Libraries. Newspaper issues may be retained until a microfilm of those issues arrive, or they may be discarded after a determined period of time. Ask at a Periodicals Room service desk for recent issues of the most popular newspapers.
What about professional journals? What are they and where do you keep them?
Generally, journals are organized by subject rather than by type. Users of the UM Libraries' journal collections will frequently find popular and professional titles intermingled in the same Periodicals Rooms and areas. The key thing to remember about professional journals is that articles in these journals are written for an audience of professionals within a field. They are usually written by researchers knowledgeable in the subject area they discuss. Consequently, there are some characteristics which identify scholarly and professional journals. While not every journal contains each of these characteristics, you can use them to guide you in evaluating an article from a particular periodical.
- The title of the periodical should indicate that it deals with a well-defined subject area. (Child Development or American Historical Review)
- The periodical is published by a trade or professional organization (Archaeological Institute of America), a research center (Franklin Research Center), or a university.
- The articles are generally scholarly or professional reports or discussions concerning the subject of the publication, and the authors' qualifications seem to be appropriate for the material they have written.
- The articles either have footnotes or lists of references at the end which allow you to find the materials discussed and will lead you to more information on the subject.
Do I have to ask someone for what I want or can I get it myself?
Most titles the Periodicals Rooms and areas in the UM Libraries are on open shelves, and users can access them without staff assistance using the UM Libraries' Catalog. A limited number of high-use titles may be kept behind a Periodicals Room service desk, and are available only on request. Under most circumstances, the Libraries' microfilm and bound volume collections are also available on a self-service basis.
Do periodicals circulate?
No. Periodicals cannot be removed from the Libraries. However there are photocopiers in or near most of the Periodicals Rooms and areas in the UM Libraries. Also, there are photocopiers on most floors containing book stacks.
Can a periodical be copied if it's on microfilm or microfiche?
Yes. Most UM Libraries Periodicals Rooms and areas are equipped with microfilm and microfiche reader/printers. Also, there are facilities to copy entire sheets of microfiche at the Engineering Library and in the Photocopy Services Dept. on the first floor of McKeldin Library.
What's the difference between microfilm and microfiche?
Materials in the UMCP Libraries' collections are held in a number of different micro-formats, of which microfilm and microfiche are only two of the most common. A list of common micro-formats follows:
- Microfilm
- Microfilm is film on reels. All microfilm titles are arranged by call number. The call numbers for microfilm are listed in the catalog.
- Microfiche
- Microfiche is a film on a flat card. There are microfiche arranged in call number order and in special "uncataloged" sets.
- Microcards
- Microcards are 3 x 5 reduced-print microforms, not transparent.
- Microprint
- Microprint are 5 x 8 reduced-print microforms, not transparent.
How are articles in periodicals located?
Indexes and abstracting services are the tools that you use to find where and when articles on a particular subject were published. There are many indexes and abstracts to periodicals. Each covers a specific subject area and/or time period.
Where are the indexes located?
Most of the UM Libraries major print indexes to periodicals are located in reference areas.
The UM Libraries also have made a numerous indexes and abstracts available electronically through workstations in reference areas, the Catalog, and Research Port.
How do I know which periodicals are owned by the UMCP Libraries?
After using a periodical index, use the UM Libraries' Catalog to find out which library holds the journal title you need, its call number and the years or volumes held.
If the title isn't available in the UM Libraries and you are sure you need the article, consult the Interlibrary Loan Office.
