Multidisciplinary Journal Usage in Veterinary Medicine: Identifying the Complementary Core

Abstract

Researchers in veterinary medicine depend on the literature of many complementary fields of study. The literature of the biological sciences, including laboratory and clinical science, is essential, as are most aspects of human medicine, since they overlap in varying degrees with veterinary medicine. This article describes the resources and processes used to identify the nonveterinary journals of importance to veterinary researchers at the University of Illinois. The methodology employed in this study may also be useful for libraries supporting other allied health fields in which large medical research libraries or collections are absent. Ensuring access to the most relevant and up-to-date peer-reviewed journal literature is an essential function of the library. The services outlined in this article make keeping up with the changing information usage and needs of a library's users possible. Objective: Identify the primary nonveterinary journals used by researchers at a college of veterinary medicine. Methodology: Employing the analytical components of commercial and open-source bibliographic abstracting and indexing (A&I) resources to measure local article authorship and usage. Result: A list of journals falling outside the core field of study yet evidenced as essential to the research needs of a specific user group. Conclusion: Identification of the “complementary core” can be elusive and will vary by institution, by the changing internal research priorities, and over time. This article describes an ongoing process that can be employed when reviewing journal subscriptions to ensure the collection's relevancy to the user base.

Keywords:

• Collections assessment
• veterinary medical journals

Notes

1. Recent reports from Science Watch (http://sciencewatch.com/) include “Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health: High-Impact U.S. Institutions, 2002–06” (May 18, 2008), “Journals Ranked By Impact: Veterinary Medicine” (March 13, 2006), and “Vetting Who's Best with the Beasts” (May/June 2005).

2. The University of Illinois-Chicago maintains a branch medical library on the Urbana campus supporting the UIC College of Medicine, however it is not affiliated with UIUC.