Does Your Library Subscribe to IUCr Journals?

The International Union of Crystallography publishes the Journal of Applied Crystallography and the four sections of Acta Crystallographica. These journals provide broad coverage of theoretical and experimental research findings that impact essentially all areas of crystallography. Our newest journal, Section D of Acta Crystallographica, is devoted to biological crystallography.

Despite the central roles that Acta Crystallographica and the Journal of Applied Crystallography play in the everyday lives of crystallographers, there are still a number of libraries in research and teaching institutions that do not carry subscriptions to them. Library budgets everywhere have been increasingly tight during the past few years, and librarians are constantly faced with decisions about which journals to keep and which ones to drop. Most librarians welcome input from users. I urge each of you to contact your librarian and emphasize the importance of initiating or renewing subscriptions to Acta Crystallographica and the Journal of Applied Crystallography. An article by S. C. Abrahams and R. A. Matula in Acta Cryst. A44, 401-410 (1988), notes that IUCr journals are responsible for publishing a large percentage of all crystallographic papers in a cost effective manner. Additional information your librarian should be aware of is provided in the 1992 edition of SCI Journal Citation Reports (p. 96), which indicates that Acta Crystallographica and the Journal of Applied Crystallography are the journals most frequently cited in crystallography.