Penn State University Libraries - News Collections Development Stmt

News Sources and Content Collection Development Statement

I. Definition

Generally, the focus of news sources is on current events of general interest. News content may be fast breaking and regularly or frequently updated (often within minutes or hours). News sources are a primary source of information for both historical and current research needs and have both a broad based general interest as well as subject and discipline based users. Some news and news sources may be focused by subject/discipline (business, entertainment, or education news, for example), toward a specific demographic groups ( Ethnic NewsWatch , for example) or geography (a country, city or campus newspaper, for example).

News content is accessible in a wide range of physical and digital formats, including newspapers, television, radio, podcasts, wire services, blogs, RSS feeds, websites, and databases. A variety of new and emerging forms, formats and distribution medium are being developed by the news industry. News content may be in either text, audio, visual forms or in combinations of audio, visual and text elements.

News sources may constitute entirely original content produced by an individual or news corporation or they may constitute an aggregated compilation of news sources ( Capitalwire , World News Connection , for example) from a variety of sources and formats. Sources may be available in original language or in translation.

Many news sources are accessible/licensed through a growing number of online aggregated sources ( LexisNexis, Ethnic NewsWatch , for example). These aggregated sources may contain a complete or partial content. Other sources in a variety of formats (microfilm or digital) may contain an exact replication of the source (microfilm, PressDisplay , or The New York Times Digital Archive (ProQuest), for example). Other sources may contain only a transcript or summary of the news content, rather than the original news format (for example a transcript or translation of an original video or audio news program).

News content must be made available in a wide range of languages and formats. There is significant need for English language foreign news sources, particularly for undergraduate research and to support teaching in courses, which fulfill the International Cultures Requirement (required of all students for graduation). English language foreign news sources or translations of these news sources are required for both current awareness resources and historical research resources for students and faculty who lack the skills to read the original foreign language materials. The University Libraries’ subscribe to major current and historical resources (e.g. World News Connection and FBIS Online ) as well as services (e.g. Press Display ). These sources provide a mix of translation and “instant” translations of non-English language materials and, together, provide both historical and current news content.

In addition, as news content is increasingly distributed via the Internet, new and evolving search engines and functionality are being developed. At present, these include Google News and other searchable Internet-based archives provided by the news corporations, search engines, or other third-party vendors. Indexing versus content costs will continue as many news organizations are developing fee-based access to their content. Much news content is protected by copyright and licensing restrictions that affect how users will gain access to much news content and how libraries will be able to provide access to this content.

Selection and need for news content is distributed throughout the curriculum (see Section IV—Collecting Responsibility).

II. Collection Purpose Statement

The news collection supports international, domestic, and historical teaching, research, and current awareness needs. The news collections specifically serve as a core source for programs and majors in Arts and Humanities; Social Sciences; and Communications (including journalism). The collection also meets the needs of general news readers/users, including international students and faculty. Because content can be selected to provide international and ethnic news, the news collection enhances the Libraries’ efforts to provide diversity (in format and content) in its collections.

News sources support teaching and research by providing a wide range of news-related content and context useful to researchers including, visual images (advertising and photography); obituaries/birth & death announcements; editorials/ opinion/commentary; reviews (film, television, book, etc.); local and regional perspective on national issues; and local news and opinion that may not be easily accessible in other sources.

The collection takes the form of physical collections (newspapers, microfilm) and digital collections (databases, websites, etc.). The University Libraries’ may also provide access to news sources through purchase or license arrangements. Others may be freely available and made accessible to the University through Library Web pages, CAT records (with or without links to the content); consortial partners (The Center for Research Libraries, for example), web search engines, searchable fee-based archives, or other means, as appropriate.

The Libraries will select news sources and content to optimize broad-based use for teaching, research and curriculum support. Additional resources may be made accessible via Inter-Library Loan (ILL) or campus lending services.

III. Location and Accessibility of the Collection in the Libraries

The University Libraries includes Campus College and University Park libraries.
Campus College Libraries may retain holdings of local or regional newspapers or national newspapers of particular use for research and teaching at that Campus College location.

The News and Microforms Library (University Park) maintains the University Libraries’ core news collection, with additional newspapers/titles available in other libraries. The collection is available for lending to researchers and students at all campus locations through ILL or Campus College lending services.

E-resources are purchased/licensed for use by all University Library locations.

IV. Collecting Responsibility

A more centralized approach to selecting and purchasing future news resources and moving away from a discipline-based (i.e., the subject clusters) and campus groupings model is a more effective model for managing news resources and content over the long term. It would also allow the Libraries to develop long-term strategies for database retention, negotiate and advocate with database vendors to articulate our pricing and content needs.

In addition to this collection development statement, collection policies and needs for specific subjects/disciplines (see for example: Communications, Political Science, History http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/colldev/selection_policy_statements.html) will provide details on specific collecting strategies and needs for newspapers in other disciplines.

V. Geographic Scope of the Collection

The Penn State University Libraries’ will collect U.S. and international news sources in all major languages, with particular focus on Pennsylvania news sources. In general our strength is in access to current news content, rather than historical archives, except for selected papers.

Pennsylvania:

The University Libraries strives to collect, preserve and provide access to Pennsylvania news sources as comprehensively as reasonably possible. This includes historical and current content and new news forms. Preference is for the complete format and content of news sources (paper, microfilm, digital archives). The Libraries’ news collection has been enhanced by participation in the Newspaper Preservation Program (NEH funding) and unique and rare holdings in Special Collections and The University Archives. Campus College libraries may provide unique holdings the Libraries’ collections unique to their campus location. Scholarly communication and preservation of historically significant titles has been/may be enhanced by digital projects (Olive databases).

Generally, the University Libraries’ strive to collect and preserve:
• The local daily newspapers and their antecedents, including Penn State student paper[s].
• Newspapers of major Pennsylvania urban areas/cities: particularly, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh. Newspapers published near Penn State Campus College locations, county seats, newspapers of historical/economic significance; and newspaper quality are also considered,
• newspapers with available indexes or searchable archives,
• news content produced by local/Pennsylvania news organizations or those that focus on Pennsylvania news

United States

The Libraries also collects and provides access to news sources from major cities/metropolitan areas or national newspapers from every region of the United States.

The Libraries’ own complete runs of historically significant sources in microform [search NewsCat or The CAT for holdings of specific newspaper titles in microformat or paper holdings] and digital archive formats, for example, the New York Times Digital Archive (ProQuest) and America’s Historical Newspaper Database (Readex).  U.S news sources in non-English language will be considered as described below in the section on Non-U.S. news sources.

Non-U.S .

News sources from major cities and world capitals are also collected on a more selective basis, current focus/strength of research and teaching is on Western Europe, with particular emphasis on 17th and 18th British newspapers. Because of the strength of the University’s research and teaching programs in language studies and area and international studies the Libraries also collect the selected news sources that represent non-western languages offered at Penn State University. However, changing research and teaching interests and world events may require changes in direction and focus over time.

The Libraries’ own complete runs of historically significant sources in microform [search NewsCat or The CAT for holdings of specific newspaper titles in microformat or paper holdings] and digital archive formats, for example, the Times (London) Digital Archive (Gale) and Gale Historical Newspapers Databases (Readex).

VI. Formats Collected

News content continues to undergo considerable change in access, format, and searchability. These changes create considerable opportunity for providing greater access to news content. They also present significant challenges to be considered from an economic and budgeting perspective, duplication (or absence) of content perspective and from the perspective of the Libraries’ role in long-term preservation and access to its news resources.

For all of these reasons, libraries will, on occasion, be required to consider whether it will acquire/license/provide access to news content in multiple formats. While budgetary and other technical considerations must always be considered, duplication of existing content owned/licensed/freely available, should be carefully considered.

Current News Content

Current news content may be provided for the general reader, and to support teaching and research. Current news resources should be selected based on local readership and number of readers. Current news content may be provided online via sources such as Press Display and it may be possible to provide more cost effective ways to provide access to print newspapers through print on demand services.

Paper issues are kept for a limited period of time, as needed for research and current awareness purposes. Retention of back issues of the print is less important when a searchable archive (in either micro- or digital format) is available.

The Libraries also offers online access to current new content, either directly from the publisher’s website, through third-party vendors, or through aggregators such as Press Display, ProQuest, NewsBank, or LexisNexis.

The Libraries’ do not typically rely on online or Internet sources to provide archival access to newspapers. The following criteria should be considered if online sources are to be considered as archival sources:
• completeness of content;
• availability of visual content—photographs, advertising, for example;
• presence of original page or screen format;
• extent of back issues retained permanently.

Historical or Digital Archives

Digital archive databases provide a complete replica of newspaper page, its content, including visual elements. In addition, they also typically provide keyword searching capability, full-page and article level viewing and printing options. Some digital archives are purchased as a rolling archive, with additional new content provided on a regular basis. Others are complete archives for which additional content may (or may not) be added in the future.

The Libraries has purchased online digital archive backfiles of newspapers of record (e.g., The New York Times , the Times (London), early American and British newspapers) when funding permits and the importance of the newspaper for research and teaching warrants. In many cases these purchases duplicated content already available in microforms.

When digital archives are considered, care should be taken to ensure the content/edition and searchability ensures and improves access to newspaper content. Digital archives which provide a rolling archive ( The New York Times , for example) should be considered separately from those that present a dead/complete archive (The Times (London ), for example) or whether the archive is complete at the time of purchase ( America’s Historical Newspapers , for example). In addition, the cost of permanent access over time compared with the initial investment, should also be considered, before cancelling news content in other formats.

Digital archive databases represent a major continuing obligation due to annual maintenance fees and the Libraries and its selectors should consider these resources as permanent additions to the collections in a manner similar to microforms.

Microfilm Archives

Microfilm represents a major continuing obligation in housing and long-term maintenance of the collection, while providing a single preservation medium. Its primary disadvantages are its lack of searchability and need for specialized equipment for viewing/printing/reproduction.

The University Libraries should retain only a single copy of newspapers on microfilm. Due to space and access constraints, multiple copies can no longer be justified. All news content in microformat should circulate freely among library locations.Electronic access to news content provides a great deal more flexibility and access within our distributed Campus College library locations.

Microfilm copies of newspapers are purchased if permanent access to a paper is considered important for the support of research or teaching and no other acceptable (or economically feasible) electronic access is available.

VII. Selection Criteria

In addition to Geographic Scope of the Collection (See Section V above), the following selection criteria will be used/applied to evaluate news content for the Libraries’ collections:
• Support of the curriculum: The news source is, or will be, actively used in support of the teaching program of the university; use is broader than existing subject and area funds.
• Support of research: The news source is, or will be, actively used by faculty or students in research, and will have research value for a number of active or potential users.
• Influence: The importance of the newspaper as an opinion shaper and/or the journalistic ranking and circulation of the newspaper, as are: quality, availability of indexes, and research needs.
• Indexing and searching capability: The availability and quality of indexing and searching/finding functionality.
• Completeness of content and format: Availability of original and complete content, in the original format (or an exact replica) or an appropriate archival/preservation format are preferred. (See also Section VI: Formats Selected)
• Availability: accessibility and availability of the news source from other sources or in other formats, including microformat, online, Campus College libraries, consortial partners (Center for Research Libraries, for example) or availability via Inter-Library Loan (ILL).
• Use: Frequency of requests and expected use will be taken into consideration in selecting and continuing news sources.
• Cost: Costs will be considered including, serial commitments, one-time content purchases, and annual maintenance fees will be considered and weighed against cost for alternative formats (microfilm, online/web access, for example)
• Overall collection content, strengths, and coverage: The Libraries will seek to maintain a broad range of newspapers from major geographical and political regions of the world and representing various points on the political spectrum and from various ethnic/racial groups. On occasion duplicate content may be necessary to obtain unique or highly desirable titles, searching/finding functionality, and broader access. See also Section V: Geographic Scope of Collection.
• Language: Availability of translation to support general education requirements or researchers who lack the skills to read the original foreign language. Both instant translators (Press Display, for example) and sources which provide translations will be considered.
• Years available: News content may be selected in partial or incomplete years to support teaching and research interests or to obtain resources of particular chronological time periods.

VIII. Other Resources and Libraries

The Penn State University Libraries are a member of the Center for Research Libraries (CRL) (http://www.crl.edu), which has extensive holdings of U.S. and foreign newspapers. A special foreign newspaper database is available at: http://www.crl.edu/content.asp?l1=5&l2=23&l3=44&l4=27. CRL newspaper holdings are available to patrons through interlibrary loan for extended loan periods.

The “State Library of Pennsylvania collection of Pennsylvania newspapers is one of the largest in existence. It is comprised of more than 80,000 microfilm reels and over 2,000 bound volumes. Newspapers are found on microfilm reels or in their original format or both. … Most of the microfilm copies of newspapers are available for circulation through Interlibrary Loan.” (http://www.statelibrary.state.pa.us/libraries/cwp/view.asp?a=2&Q=40148)

Inter-Library Loan (ILL) services also can provide additional newspapers on microfilm not available from CRL or the The State Library of Harrisburg.

The Pennsylvania Newspaper Project (available at: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/preservation/PaNP/all.html), Preservation Department, and Office of Digital and Scholarly Publishing also support a wide-range of newspaper preservation projects, for both microfilm and digital formats, including the Pennsylvania Civil War Newspapers and Penn State University Campus College newspapers (Available at: https://secureapps.libraries.psu.edu/digital/projects.cfm?type=newspapers).

This Collection Development Statement is indebted to content/examples provided by:
• Indiana University (Bloomington) http://www.libraries.iub.edu/index.php?pageId=2657
• University of Illinois http://www.library.uiuc.edu/administration/collections/planning/
• Rutgers University http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/staff/collection_dev/policies/newspapers.shtml