§ Ms. GordonTo ask the Minister for the Arts what is the total number of subscriptions to scientific periodicals that has been suspended by the British Library; and if he will give a breakdown showing the number suspended and the amount of money saved thereby in each major subject area.
§ Mr. MellorThe British Library has suspended subscriptions to a total of 200 scientific periodicals. A breakdown by subject area and the savings expected are:
Number £ Agriculture 4 1,290 Biology 17 6,515 Biomedicine 9 3,628 Biochemistry/chemistry 49 20,017 Computing (including automation) 7 2,466 Ecology/environment 4 1,356 Electronics/communications 6 2,535 Engineering 19 8,612 Mathematics 28 11,821 Physics 37 16,295 Other (geology, metallurgy, mining, etc.) 20 7,425 200 81,960 The library is arranging alternative access where possible to the scientific journals and hopes to reinstate them in 1992. Most of them will continue to be taken by the library's document supply centre in Yorkshire.