Mary and Jeff Bell Library
Periodicals Department Policies
IntroductionFind Journals List
Collections
Circulation
Copying
Binding
Introduction
The Periodicals Department provides access to Bell Library's
journals, magazines, newspapers, and microform collections.
We encourage the use of these materials both for research
and recreation. To that end, we strive to maintain an atmosphere
that is welcoming and well suited to these pursuits. Our staff
is available to answer questions and to provide help with
any of the materials housed in Periodicals. We are committed
to ensuring availability of our periodicals regardless of
format, and to providing quality customer service to our patrons.
The Find Journals List is a comprehensive online listing of all of the materials collected by the Periodicals departments including our print holdings, microform holdings, and electronic holdings. Due to the length of the list and its dynamic nature, it is no longer made available in print
Popular Magazines and Newspapers: The Periodicals Department maintains a popular reading section in the library atrium near the front entrance. The most current issues of nearly 200 magazines and newspapers are kept here. We invite you to enjoy these publications in the library and request that you return them to the atrium area when you are finished. The most current two years' issues of popular magazines are shelved in the Periodicals section of the first floor.
Newspapers: The Newspaper Shelves are located next to library room 120, the quiet study area. The most current three months of the approximately 50 newspapers to which the library subscribes are kept here. We maintain microform back files of many newspapers and provide electronic access (through computer workstations in the Reference Area) to many others.
Journals: The bulk of our collection consists of bound and unbound print periodicals. There are approximately 2500 titles on the shelves. About 1500 of them are current subscriptions. The print journal collection is currently being re-ordered from alphabetical by title to call number order. Please feel free to ask for assistance in finding journals as we work to complete this process. All holdings are listed in the Find Journals List. For your convenience and ours, book carts are located throughout the section. Please place journals on these carts when you have finished with them. If you discover missing issues, please report it to the Periodicals Office in Library room 112. The Library maintains complete runs of many of the scholarly journals to which it subscribes. They are preserved by being bound into hard cover or converted to microform.
Microforms: Many scholarly journals and some newspapers to which the Library subscribes are preserved in microform. When this is the case, the print version is removed from the shelves upon receipt of the microfilm. Our sizeable collection of microfilm and microfiche is housed in filing cabinets in the Periodicals area just outside library room 120, the quiet study area. The collection also includes ERIC documents and other serial primary source material. Federal and State documents in microform are housed in the Government Documents section of the library. All microforms may be viewed on microform reader-printers located near library room 120, the quiet study area. The Periodicals Department staff will be happy to assist with locating, viewing, and printing from microform resources.
Electronic Periodicals: Bell Library currently provides access to more than 80,000 journals online. Most of these are available through full-text databases like Science Direct, JSTOR, Project Muse, and Academic Search Premier. Some are made available through publisher's websites. They are all accessible through the Find Journals List on the Library's website. The computers near the Reference Desk can be used to connect to electronic journals and Reference staff will be happy to assist you to find the journal or article that you seek.
Periodicals materials do not circulate in order to allow all patrons equal access to them.
Materials in the Periodicals Department can be placed on hold by Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi faculty for a maximum of 24 hours.
Faculty members may place Periodicals materials on reserve by making arrangements with periodical staff in advance. In order to maintain availability of Periodicals materials to all patrons, in most cases, copies of articles will be place on reserve.
Bound and unbound print Periodicals may be checked out by faculty, staff and authorized graduate students for 24 hours to facilitate copying.
Undergraduates may not check out serials.
Microforms do not circulate under any circumstances.
Copy machines and microform reader-printers available to patrons to facilitate printing and copying of articles for individual use. Copy machines are located next to the library's front door. Microform reader-printers are located near the microform cabinets outside library room120, the quiet study area. The burden of compliance with all 9-10-03 copyright laws is on the individual making the copies.
Copies cost 7 cents per copy on Sandollar or Vend-a-card, not per sheet of paper, thus double sided copies will cost 14 cents each. Microform copies cost 10 cents per page. Microform reader printers take coins and not Sandollar cards.
Student assistants are available during Periodicals Department business hours to assist patrons with the use of microform reader-printers.
A&M-CC faculty members and graduate students working for faculty members may charge the cost of microform copies to their academic departments (with approval from their departments) provided they have a current Sandollar ID.
A&M-CC faculty members and graduate students working for faculty members may charge the cost of copies made in the library to their departments by using the faculty/staff copier located on the first floor of the library. This copier requires the use of a code distributed by the academic department.
Refunds will be made for illegible copier copies by the circulation department with the approval (in the form of a refund slip) of a Periodicals Department staff member.
Refunds will be made for illegible microform reader-printer copies by the Library Administration Office with the approval (in the form of a refund form) of a Periodicals Department staff member. Free microform reader-printer copies may be provided in place of refunds. Periodicals staff will provide an override of the microform reader-printer coinbox in this case.
Refunds will not be made for copies made illegible through patron error.
Periodicals: The library binds loose issues of some of its print subscription to facilitate their preservation. Materials are usually shipped to the bindery in between semesters when their absence will cause the least inconvenience. A list of materials currently at the bindery is available at the Reference Desk and in the Periodicals Office (Library room 112).
Theses and dissertations: The Periodicals Department binds theses and dissertations written by A&M-CC graduate students in completion of their degree requirements. Complete guidelines for binding theses and dissertations are available. The department or college from which the student is seeking their degree provides guidelines for thesis and dissertation content.
We invite questions and/or comments and look forward to hearing from you. Contact Christine Shupala at christine.shupala@tamucc.edu, (361)825-2644.
Webpage revised on 08/13/2012
