As progress is made on Temple’s new central library, our staff continues to prepare the collections for the move. The migration, like any move, provides an opportunity to reevaluate our current collections and create space for other materials, including our ever-expanding archives and special collections.

With this in mind, the library administrative team has made the decision to deaccession a selection of print journals that we receive in digital form. This change will result in no loss of access. All selections—approximately 1,000 titles constituting approximately 80,000 volumes, the large majority already stored offsite—will continue to be available online via stable providers and in print through one of our library partners.

Completing this undertaking now will reduce the time and expense involved in moving our collections to the new library building. The process of deaccessioning becomes more complicated once materials have been added to the automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS).

While preservation of the scholarly record remains a central tenet of Temple Libraries’ mission, this is accomplished collectively with our many library partners.  In today’s world of ready online access to journal content and robust sharing agreements among libraries, it is not necessary for all libraries, even research libraries, to maintain hundreds of volumes of seldom used print journal archives.

Please feel free to contact Dean of Libraries Joe Lucia, at joe.lucia@temple.edu, with any questions or concerns about this process.