Document Type

Article

Abstract

Purpose – To replicate a study done in 1992 on the bibliographic availability of 55 popular culture periodicals sold by a Kroger supermarket in Royal Oak, Michigan. The earlier study asked the question whether time might be a relevant variable for the number of holding libraries.

Design/methodology/approach – The authors searched WorldCat for the number of reported library holdings for the same 55 popular culture periodicals and analyzed the results. Findings – 34 periodicals with holdings during both periods had a median increase of 58.4%; but, when the 83.5% increase in OCLC full membership during the same period was taken into account, holdings had a median decrease of 13.7%. For the nineteen cases with no library holdings in 1992, eight (42.1%) now had library holdings including several high circulation periodicals such as Star and Soap Opera Weekly.

Practical implications – Popular culture materials read by many American are still not widely available in libraries or are not entered into WorldCat, the prime source for bibliographic holdings.

Originality/value – Provides additional statistical evidence on the availability of popular culture materials in libraries.

Disciplines

Library and Information Science

Comments

This is the author's post print originally appearing in Collection Building. v. 26 no. 2 (2007) pp. 48-53.www.emeraldinsight.com

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