Acquisition of Print Periodicals in Libraries

This paper reflects the whole process of acquiring printed periodicals, the factors governing the selection of periodicals such as the scope of the library, demands of the users, whether the title is easily available elsewhere and periodicals already taken by libraries have been described. Various methods involved in the acquisition of periodicals are also highlighted in detail. Acquisition of periodicals is besieged with many thorny problems like their subscription procedure, proliferation and high cost, inadequate cataloguing rules, loss of periodicals in transit and improper binding facilities have been highlighted and the solutions provided for the above mentioned problems have been provided in the paper. The paper concludes that in order to develop a useful collection, it is essential to formulate a selection policy for the acquisition of periodicals.