Page 267 - DLIS006_INFORMATION SOURCES AND SERVICES

Information Sources and Services

Notes As the cost of International abstracting periodicals is exorbitant, many librarians in India depend
on these periodicals available in other libraries rich in their collection, in nearby location. Such
resource sharing programmes are encouraged due to establishment of city Library Networks in
India.

13.7.3 Use

The indexes are the keys of I & A periodicals. Without them, consultation would be difficult and
uncertain. After making up your mind about a specific approach, you should consult the most
suitable type of index for locating the information. The keywords you are familiar within the
subject may be different from the index terms used for the same concept in abstracting and
indexing services.
There is usually delay, especially in the case of abstracting periodicals; in reporting literature
after it has been published. For that matter, the indexing and abstracting periodicals cannot be
expected to be up-to-date wherein the usual time-lag is six months or more.

Task Make a difference between indexing and abstracting periodicals.
Self Assessment

State whether the following statements are true or false:
15. While selecting a specific I & A periodical, it is worthwhile to find out its extent of coverage
of literature and adequacy for searching for required information.

16. There is usually delay, especially in the case of abstracting periodicals; in reporting
literature after it has been published.

Case Study Periodicals Index Online

eriodicals Index Online (PIO) (formerly, Periodicals Contents Index (PCI)), is the
leading multidisciplinary index to the arts, humanities, and the social sciences.
POver 6,000 journals are included, with around one million records from new journals
added yearly. Complete runs of these titles are indexed, from first issue to 1995 or ceased
date.

The scope is international, including journals in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish,
and most other Western languages. Over 30% of the content indexed is from non-English
scholarly titles.
For more than 200 years, periodicals have been a vital resource for scholars. However, if
researchers need to find articles in periodical back volumes, they have to search through
dozens, if not hundreds, of printed subject indexes and bibliographies. Even if their library
holds these indexes, searches can be time consuming and incomplete.

PIO now makes it possible to search back volumes of journals with the same ease and
convenience as searching the latest issues. It fills an enormous gap in access to scholarly,
periodical literature for the humanities and social sciences.
Contd....

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