Sometimes students may ask questions that may seem basic, but the answers are useful for understanding subjects. For example, if the student asks:

What is a periodical?

We can answer:

A magazine or newspaper that appears regularly.

A periodical is usually not something that is published one time only, or only every few years. A periodical sticks to the same schedule of publication and we know when the next issue will appear. Sometimes in explaining or defining a word such as periodical, it can help to add some synonyms, so we may tell the student:

A journal, publication, magazine, newspaper, review, newsletter, quarterly, annual, or weekly.

The noun periodical derives from the word periodic, which itself originated in a Latin term meaning to appear in regular fashion. Students and ajarns who work with chemistry are familiar with the Periodic table of elements. It is called the Periodic table because elements that have things in common are grouped in a way so that properties appear in a regular fashion. They can be seen perioidically, and so it is a Periodic table. In the same way, when we are interested in a journal or other publication, we are glad that it is a periodical because that means we will see it at regular intervals. Its periodicity is one of the things that makes it useful for researchers.

Students may be surprised that even if a publication appears only once a year, it is still referred to as a periodical. As long as it belongs to a series and a new one is issued on a regular schedule, it is a periodical. An important point is that in each issue of a periodical, the content is different. As we know, at the Thammasat University Libraries, the Periodicals Department deals with newspapers, directories, travel guides, and many numbered series of reports and monographs as well as periodicals such as journals and magazines. It does not preserve governmental or inter-governmental publications, which are usually to be found in the Rare Books Room. Students may ask:

How long does it take for a journal to get to the library?

Given the amount of time that air mail service takes, by the time the TU Libraries receives and processes a new periodical, there may be some delay before the printed copy may be read. Of course, electronic copies are available immediately, so it is always a good idea to do a library search and look for copies of articles available online.

Who decides what journals are subscribed to?

Foreign periodicals especially are acquired selectively by purchase or donation. On the TU Libraries homepage, the drop-menu under the heading SERVICES will display the option Book Suggestion Service. There students and ajarns are informed:

Every library member has the opportunity to suggest items that they consider important or worthwhile for literacy, education and research or otherwise of value to the library community. Upon submission, the member’s suggestion will first be cross-referenced to ensure it is not within current holdings, then considered by our librarians as to its suitability for inclusion.

Keep in mind if recommending the purchase of a periodical that unlike a book, it appears regularly, so it represents a recurring expense. Which periodicals are most essential for TU students and ajarns determines which ones are acquired.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)