National program for access to periodicals: Recent progress

The National Commission on Libraries and Information Science appointed a task force in late 1975 to prepare a plan for a National Periodicals System, which was completed in early 1977. Recommendations specify a three-level structure for the national program. At the first level, access to periodicals will be provided by local, state, and regional library systems. The major new element recommended is a comprehensive periodicals collection-National Periodicals Center-which will operate as the second level and meet the majority of unfulfilled requests from the first level. At a third level, existing national libraries and other unique research collections will serve as backup to the other service levels.