Core or not: Redefining the aasl list of periodicals

The purpose of a core list of periodicals is to organize and rank publications that correspond to unique information needs, while satisfying the definition and scope of a field of study. For the past twenty-five years, the Association of Architecture School Librarians’ Core List of Architecture Periodicals has served as a collection development guide for librarians supporting programs accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). Compiled and vetted by professional librarians and architecture faculty, the list has also informally become an information resource assessment standard for NAAB teams. Now in its fifth edition, the list is unique to the discipline in that no other professional organization publishes an alternative. This article describes the review process, evaluative methods, and criteria applied to develop that edition. In doing so, it outlines the process to develop such a resource for an academic program granting a professional design degree.