About Us: Policies

The goals of developing the collection are to support patient care, research, and educational programs at RUSH University Medical Center. To recommend a purchase, please contact the Library Service Desk at (312) 942-5950 or simply fill out the convenient form below.

Journal Acquisitions Policy
Acquiring new journals requires a long-term fiscal and physical commitment by the Library. The amount of money the Library spends on journals is limited by its budget. Requests are accepted on a continuous basis, but titles can only be ordered as funds become available. The Library regrets restricting new subscription purchases. Our goal remains to provide the most effective and efficient access to information possible despite funding limitations.

For each recommended journal subscription, a sample copy will be obtained and reviewed by the Assistant Director for Collection Management. The following are considered when evaluating a journal for the collection.

• The cost of the subscription and the number of potential users.
• The availability of an index for the journal in the library's collection. E.g., Medline, CINAHL, or PsycINFO.
• Availability of electronic full text.
• Impact factor. The measure of frequency in which articles published in the journal has been cited in a particular year.
• The process for review of manuscript submissions.
• Publisher's reputation and timeliness of delivery.
• Language.