Editor’s note: This article is based on work originally reported in 2023 article published in JMLA.

Challenge

Due to mounting space reclamation pressures beginning in 2013, many of Texas’ largest medical libraries were tasked with discarding large ranges of serial print holdings. However, the majority of these holdings were connected to the National Library of Medicine’s (NLM) MedPrint retention program, which meant hospitals and medical research institutions across the country were relying on their continued preservation and accessibility. In response, the Texas A&M Joint Library Facility (JLF) staff initiated an unprecedented nationwide collection and preservation effort to save these materials and ensure the complete holdings range for all NLM MedPrint materials were preserved. These efforts would prove to be fortuitous to academic communities in the wake of an impending pandemic that saw limited accessibility to critical medical literature, and established a blueprint that other institutions may wish to replicate in preparation for future events that could pose similar challenges to resource accessibility…