Art, like beauty, as the adage goes, is in the eye of the beholder. Art also is a living, breathing thing that evolves over time, so what is considered "art" is ever changing--how many of the great artists whose works today sell for fortunes were failures during their lifetime? The 20th century unknowingly gave birth to new variations of art that…

Magazine publishers weathered the difficult recession year of 2009 with admirable resilience. Although several magazines failed and many saw reductions in advertising revenue, a number of new publications have been launched as industry professionals continue to demonstrate their ability to adapt to new technologies and difficult business…

Rumors of the death of the magazine are greatly exaggerated. Efforts by some innovative publishers suggest that rather than killing magazines, the Internet may just reinvigorate the medium. As each magazine seeks the ideal relationship of print to online to develop its brand, nearly every magazine has a web site with at least subscribing…

This article presents the 10 best new magazines of 2008. They are: (1) BBC Knowledge; (2) Bible Study Magazine; (3) Culture: The Word on Cheese; (4) Food Network Magazine; (5) Lapham's Quarterly; (6) Miller-McCune; (7) NCAA Champion; (8) Science Illustrated; (9) Strategy; and (10) World Affairs. These magazines have in common the potential to…

In a year filled with drama and hyperbole, the serials marketplace churned toward a future whose shape is the subject of fierce debate. Forecasts from commercial publishers touting collapse and disaster seemed oddly out of sync with the profits they enjoyed--around 25 percent on average. Nevertheless, in a market where prices continued to rise and…

As waves of grim economic news wash over state and federal governments here and abroad, libraries of all types and sizes are bracing for budget cuts the likes of which have not been seen in three generations. Unlike most financial crises, this one is ubiquitous, with all but a handful of states in the red and getting redder. Globally, the meltdown…

The "greening" of corporate behemoths like Wal-Mart, DuPont, and Toyota has received much media attention in recent years. But consider small businesses: according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, of the estimated 27 million firms in the United States, 99.7 percent have fewer than 500 employees, 97.5 percent have fewer than 20, and more…

Deeming 2006 disappointing for the magazine industry may be an exaggeration. Nevertheless, publishers have undoubtedly seen better years. Advertising revenue declined for a number of popular print titles, with publications such as "Field & Stream," "Outdoor Life," "Vanity Fair," "The New Yorker," "Skiing," and "Jane" shedding significant numbers…

When flood came to Cedar Rapids city, the Cedar Rapids Public Library (CRPL), IA, lost 160,000 items including large parts of its adult and youth collections, magazines, newspapers, reference materials, CDs, and DVDs. Most of its public access computers were destroyed as was its computer lab and microfilm equipment. The automatic circulation and…

Evidence for open access as an emergent, global state of mind is everywhere. The "New York Times" went "open" last September, and the "Wall Street Journal" is slated to follow. Increasingly, scholarly communities are breaking with tradition and calling for the open sharing of research, software, and data. Amongst these global initiatives is the…

As the days grow longer and warmer with the approach of summer, everyone's thoughts turn to the outdoors and the clear blue of water sports. While recreational choices range from in-the-water activities like water polo to under-the-water sports like free diving, and on-the-water diversions like water skiing, this article focuses on print, video,…

Worthington, Ohio, has deep library roots. A library has been part of its history since the planning by settlers before the city's birth in 1803. Among the treasures brought by James Kilbourne and the Scioto Company from Connecticut to the new, planned community they built was a collection of books for their new subscription library. The books…

Fifteenth annual study of the cost of American periodicals and index services, based on 1967 prices. Serial and index costs are tabulated for various subject areas. (LS)

Nine indexing services of popular periodicals are discussed in terms of content, coverage, and characteristics: Access, Consumers Index, Index to Free Periodicals, New York Times Information Bank, Magazine Index, Monthly Periodicals Index, New Periodicals Index, Popular Periodical Index, and Readers Guide. A table indicates coverage for each index…

Gives a detailed discussion of the histories, editorial policies, and contents of two alternative magazines for librarians. (PF)