Earlier serials lists

Top 100 serials in WorldCat

Compiled by Patrick McClain, OCLC Research

[Excerpted from the OCLC Newsletter, 228 (July/August) 1997.]

The list of the top 100 serials in WorldCat is based on the number of holdings symbols attached to the bibliographic record for a particular serial title. On each occasion that OCLC has compiled these statistics, a different serial has come out on top, and four of the top five serials on this year's list have been the top-held serial in the past: Scientific American in 1989, Consumer Reports in 1991, Time in 1995 and Newsweek this year. Only serial titles currently in publication are included in the list.

—Patrick McClain is systems analyst, OCLC Office of Research.

Rank OCLC Number Holdings Publication Title
1 1760328 5783 Newsweek
2 1767509 5778 Time
3 1564931 5757 Consumer Reports
4 7786209 5406 U.S. News & World Report
5 1775222 5244 Scientific American
6 6451257 5232 National Geographic
7 1766364 5033 Sports Illustrated
8 1537921 4975 Business Week
9 1359769 4618 Smithsonian
10 1081160 4587 Psychology Today
11 2351916 4544 Library Journal
12 1479963 4538 American Heritage
13 2367617 4527 Science News
14 6560726 4421 Discover
15 1569892 4393 Fortune
16 1644869 4318 Science
17 1763471 4302 The Reader's Digest
18 4015531 4285 Popular Science
19 1588464 4117 Money
20 2497043 4021 Good Housekeeping
21 3643271 4007 Popular Mechanics
22 1792449 3944 People Weekly
23 4267940 3938 Life
24 6465733 3909 Forbes
25 5902855 3887 Better Homes and Gardens
26 1759475 3863 Natural History
27 1760231 3820 The New Yorker
28 1567306 3818 Ebony
29 1193890 3785 Statistical Abstract of the United States
30 1759389 3756 National Review
31 4532730 3712 Harper's
32 1759945 3698 The New Republic
33 1751795 3665 Harvard Business Review
34 1587974 3663 The New England Journal of Medicine
35 1536781 3650 The Booklist
36 1643827 3576 Seventeen
37 2244730 3567 Byte
38 1624448 3552 The Ladies' Home Journal
39 1587904 3549 National Wildlife
40 1124917 3512 Journal of the American Medical Association
41 23819939 3494 Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine
42 1643268 3475 The Nation
43 2267483 3434 The Saturday Evening Post
44 1565627 3429 Current History
45 854299 3425 American Libraries
46 4171150 3409 McCall's
47 1311259 3357 Physicians' Desk Reference
48 1787396 3357 Rolling Stone
49 1788884 3357 The United States Government Manual
50 1141571 3354 Who's Who in America
51 1223579 3327 Encyclopedia of Associations
52 1567544 3293 The Education Digest
53 1587520 3221 Audubon
54 1641993 3187 Prevention
55 1762661 3169 Popular Photography
56 1645522 3153 The New York Times
57 1759465 3148 Nation's Business
58 2761141 3120 Working Woman
59 1769234 3100 Vital Speeches of the Day
60 1569702 3086 Foreign Affairs
61 1238236 3081 The Statesman's Year-book
62 6083626 3043 The Christian Century
63 2243002 3003 Washington Information Directory
64 1696683 2995 Motor Trend
65 1743347 2981 The American Journal of Nursing
66 2441557 2963 American Library Directory
67 1564424 2960 Commonweal
68 1788281 2935 Consumers' Research Magazine
69 13566002 2890 PC Magazine
70 1479242 2875 America
71 1761598 2867 Outdoor Life
72 1762202 2863 Phi Delta Kappan
73 5345258 2856 Monthly Labor Review
74 5434081 2836 Redbook
75 1715227 2827 Mademoiselle
76 2246130 2819 Environment
77 3568173 2810 Omni
78 1798621 2801 School Library Journal
79 1769261 2790 Vogue
80 1685864 2787 FDA Consumer
81 1564295 2778 Commentary
82 1081684 2767 The Economist
83 1773253 2745 Occupational Outlook Handbook
84 1184940 2740 County and City Data Book
85 24813732 2727 Health
86 2489456 2714 Publishers Weekly
87 1238839 2706 The Book of the States
88 1479320 2704 American Artist
89 1514286 2700 Art in America
90 1361183 2693 The Writer's Market
91 918159 2691 The Foundation Directory
92 1765612 2689 Sky and Telescope
93 1554505 2674 Christianity Today
94 5259082 2648 Glamour
95 1756390 2645 Maclean's
96 6261197 2642 Physicians' Desk Reference for Nonprescription Drugs
97 6183469 2640 Congressional Digest
98 1758761 2635 The Mother Earth News
99 5154955 2631 Esquire
100 1713564 2621 Who Was Who in America