Libraries as repositories of popular culture: is popular culture still forgotten?

This paper seeks to replicate a study done in 1992 on the bibliographic availability of 55 popular culture periodicals sold by a Kroger supermarket in Royal Oak, Michigan. The earlier study asked the question whether time might be a relevant variable for the number of holding libraries.

The authors searched WorldCat for the number of reported library holdings for the same 55 popular culture periodicals and analyzed the results.

During both periods, 34 periodicals with holdings had a median increase of 58.4 percent; but, when the 83.5 percent increase in OCLC governing members during the same period was taken into account, holdings had a median decrease of 13.7 percent. For the 19 cases with no library holdings in 1992, eight (42.1 percent) now had library holdings, including several high circulation periodicals such as Star and Soap Opera Weekly.

Popular culture materials read by many Americans are still not widely available in libraries or are not entered into WorldCat, the prime source for bibliographic holdings.

This paper provides additional statistical evidence on the availability of popular culture materials in libraries.