Back to Campus Currents

BHSU library received $10,000 grant to support electronic journals

A $10,000 grant funded by the Bush Foundation of Minneapolis and the Andrew Mellon Foundation of New York will support World Wide Web access to scholarly journals at Black Hills State's E.Y. Berry Library Learning Center.

Participation is made possible through Project JSTOR (Journal Storage), a three-year grants initiative of the Bush and Mellon foundations. The Minnesota Private College Research Foundation of St. Paul, Minn., serves as sponsor and fiscal agent for the project.

JSTOR's fully searchable electronic database currently contains scanned images of 117 major research journals in a variety of academic disciplines, some which began publishing in the 1870s.

BHSU Librarian Barb Chrisman said, “It (JSTOR) gives us access to material we haven't had in the past. Basically, it gives us access to periodical files back to their beginning and to within a year of the current date.”

JSTOR is particularly good for materials related to the socials sciences, literature and the humanities. There are some materials in the science area particularly ecology and math. It also includes some business statistics and demographic information.

Chrisman said, “JSTOR is available on the net just like Pro Quest and Info TRAC databases. It is important from a historical stand point covering the 70s, 60s and back. The back files are important.”

Chrisman and Dr. Ed Erickson, library director, will be attending a two-day training session in Minneapolis this November on the use of JSTOR. The program should be up and running soon after their return to campus.

Having electronic journals online has the potential to ease overcrowding in the library by maximizing space for new materials. It also lets students and faculty access research information from their computers at home or from the residence halls.

BHSU is one of 17 public and private institutions in the Minnesota and the Dakotas selected to receive this grant covering a portion of the JSTOR subscription fee and support for faculty and student development through campus mini-grants and workshops. The Dakotas and Minnesota group joins a network of 15 regional members of JSTOR and more than 500 colleges, universities and public libraries in the U.S. and around the world.

Back to Campus Currents