The Serial/Monograph Ratio in Research Libraries: Budgeting in Light of Citation Studies

Librarians are concerned with the ever-increasing portion of the budget being devoted to serials. No formula or objective guideline presently exists to determine the correct allocation ratio for serials vs. monographs. Over the past 40 years, over 50 studies have analyzed the use of the research literature in various subject areas. These studies use citation analysis to determine the actual percentage of serials vs. monographs used by researchers in each field. The present study uses these figures to provide a guideline for serial vs. monograph budgeting.