CHEMISTRY JOURNAL USE AND COST - RESULTS OF A LONGITUDINAL-STUDY

Journal-use studies were conducted in the University of Illinois at Ur bana-Champaign Chemistry Library in 1988, 1993, and most recently In 1 996. Between 1988 and 1996, the cost of purchasing the journal collect ion rose 66.9% while use of the collection rose 34.2%. These increases occurred during the cancellation of over 180 chemistry journals betwe en 1988 and 1996. The data point to a collection with obvious ''top'' journals that generate most of the use. While the data confirm the 80/ 20 rule (84% of use was generated by the top 100 journals in 1996, app roximately 20% of the journal collection), journal use is even more fo cused toward the top: approximately 40% of all use in 1996 was generat ed by the top 10 titles. Use of the top 10 journals rose 60% between 1 988 and 1996, with nearly identical titles occupying the top 10 positi ons over 8 years. Longitudinal trends in journal use and cost are expl ored, recommendations are made for successful journal-use study method ologies, and time series, data-centered collection development address ed.