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CDC Recommendation on Last Copy

Proposed Re-Definition and Policy Revision for UW Libraries

This document is meant to be used as a guideline for UW libraries.

Due to improved bibliographic control (OCLC, WisCat, Web access to online catalogs in specific libraries), the costs associated with archiving low-use materials and cost-effective and timely ILL/document delivery from within and outside the State, the policy of keeping a "last copy", a unique copy of any monograph, serial, newspaper, or microform in an academic, public or special library anywhere in Wisconsin is no longer necessary or appropriate. Instead, "last copy" status should be restricted to titles in one or more of the following categories:

titles published prior to 1900,
titles published in Wisconsin,
titles written by a Wisconsin author,
titles about Wisconsin,
limited editions, titles with monetary or artifactual value (e.g., provenance, binding, illustrations, etc.),
titles in subject areas for which UW Libraries are known to have collections of national importance, such as the hospitality and gaming industries, little magazines, history of science, and subject areas important to the State's economy (e.g., the cranberry, brewing, forest products and paper, or dairy industries), or
a single print file of back runs of print journals to which there is licensed electronic access. (Currently, UW libraries are testing this practice with JSTOR titles, for which Madison will retain a single, complete run.)
Such titles may be retained in the owning library or transferred to another UW library based on programmatic strengths and needs of the campuses.

CUWL - CDC

Aug, 1999

Accepted by CUWL

November 1999