Brief Communication " ' The impact of electronic journals on library functions

Abstract

The library side I , , ' = , , I < Society today is experiencing a veritable explosion of different new information resources and formats. The changes are not at the expense of the book and other traditional printed media, according to Perryman [7],but are an addition to these. Librarians must take an active part in this development and offer new services in order to fulfil their role as information providers. This movement can already be seen in the case of collection development in research libraries. Electronic documents offer significant advantages to the library in four ways. Firstly, some documents are more useful in an electronic form due to enhanced searchability and manipulability, e.g. in allowing statistical calculations to be effected. Secondly, electronic form is sometimes the only alternative, so it represents a net increase in the information base.ously increasing at great speed and the library can only afford to acquire a diminishing part of it. The great volume also makes it advantageous to use electronic tools to locate the material. The fourth advantage is economy in storage: the increase in cost for keeping printed material makes electronic forms more attractive from an economic viewpoint [4].Electronic information, however, creates both legal and economic problems for libraries and publishers. The legal issues relate to copyright, ownership of information and regulations about availability and use. The economic issues relate to the financing of access to information, as opposed to acquisition of material [8]. Traditionally, libraries have had an acquisition budget for books and one for journals; to an increasing degree, the term 'information resources budget' is being used, which reflects the view that information should be made available regardless of media and form. Factors that have accelerated development towards new forms of information and knowledge distribution are the rapid advances in computer and telecommunications technology. One effect of this development is that researchers potentially can access information resources from all over the world without even entering the library. This could be devastating for the library in its role as information provider unless it actively takes part in the changing reality. Scientific communication can take place in networks outside the library, and the increased offerings of databases can make the library a small and marginal part of the whole network. Perryman [7] gives some guidelines on how libraries can work to prevent this from happening: -strengthen and expand the traditional library values of cooperation and resource sharing at UQ Library on June 15, 2015 jis.sagepub.com Downloaded from

Use of electronic journals by doctoral research scholars of Goa University, India

“…According to Von Ungern‐Sternberg and Lindquist (1995), “researchers can potentially access information resources from all over the world without even entering the library and this could be devastating for the library in its role as information provider.” With the growing number of electronic journals being published and the variety of interfaces available, more sophisticated searching and retrieving skills are necessary. Seventy‐three respondents (76 percent) desired training for retrieving e‐journal references and for locating full‐text article references.…”

Evolution of virtual libraries in Nigeria: myth or reality?

“…Apparently, the availability of effective and efficient national information infrastructures is imperative for the effective evolution of virtual libraries in the country. Von Ungern-Sternberg and Lindquist [1] have explicitly argued for the need to evolve virtual libraries by tapping into the developing telecommunications infrastructure as well as developing a common vision of the future of information technology in any given country. Access to reliable telecommunications systems and other related information infrastructures is therefore critical to the evolution of virtual libraries in Nigeria.…”

“…It is therefore recommended that the federal government, through the NUC, should increase the current level of funding of university libraries to support the effective evolution and implementation of the Nigeria Virtual Library Project. University administrators and library managements should intensify efforts to generate additional funds to supplement those from the federal government; this will conform with the principle of pursuing and developing new funding sources as advocated by Von Ungern-Sternberg and Lindquist [1] to support the emerging national Virtual Library Project. There should also be a national policy on how to improve the extent of availability of relevant information infrastructures on our campuses for the effective operation of virtual libraries.…”

“…Society today is experiencing a veritable explosion of new information resources and formats [1], and recently, there has been an emergence of electronic information, which has now given birth to the electronic library, the virtual library. Academic libraries in Nigeria are plagued with poor quality library resources -the dearth of current journals/books is an issue that impedes quality research and teaching in the country.…”

The impact of Web publishing on the organization of cataloging functions

“…19 The move toward the "collecting" of remote access materials can be seen in the expanding use of the term "information resource budget" instead of "acquisition budget" or "materials budget." 20 The growth in acquisition of electronic resources of all types can be seen in the growing number of books and journal issues devoted entirely to this subject.…”