External Tools

This page provides resources to support collection management decisions. The tools listed here are not connected to the data in the PAPR database. They are intended to be used as supplementary tools for a variety of shared print needs.


CRL Serials Validator

The CRL Serials Validator was originally built at the Center for Research Libraries for use with the the Print Archives Preservation Registry (PAPR), to aid in checking serials bibliographic data for accuracy and appropriate scope. It can be used for similar work with shared print data, or anywhere that you need to check a large amount of serials data for accuracy and relevance. The program can process input data in a variety of formats: MARC, tab-separated and comma-separated text files, and Excel (xlsx) spreadsheets.

Please refer to project notes for complete usage details. In brief the validator will:

  1. Check serials bibliographic and holdings data against WorldCat data.
  2. Validate holdings data based on specific rules set by the user.
  3. Report if records are valid (accurate and in scope) or invalid based on findings.

Access the CRL Serials Validator »


What to Withdraw Tool

This tool has been developed to help libraries apply the logic of Ithaka S+R’s report “What to Withdraw: Print Collections Management in the Wake of Digitization” to the journals made available in electronic form through JSTOR and determine which JSTOR-digitized journals may be responsibly deaccessioned in print form by any library. Download the report and instructions for using the tool.

The tool was original developed as a Microsoft Excel Workbook that could be downloaded and run on an individual’s computer. This web-accessible version of the tool maintains all the logic of the original tool and closely follows its presentation of the data. The data is updated quarterly.

Please refer to the original instruction guide to use the tool. In brief, there are three steps for users to follow:

  1. Choose three threshold parameters:
    • Percent of a title's complete run, held in a dark archive
    • Complete copies: number of page-verified copies of complete run
    • Image Density: image-to-page ratio below which a title will meet withdrawal thresholds.
  2. Choose JSTOR Collections to query with these parameters.
  3. Submit threshold parameters, receive results with titles per collection.

Access the What to Withdraw Tool »