The Transition from Print to Electronic Journals: A Study of College and University Libraries in Indiana

Abstract

the terms of the Creative CommonsAttribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike License 2.5 Canada (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-ncsa/2.5/ca/ ), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly attributed, not used for commercial purposes, and, if transformed, the resulting work is redistributed under the same or similar license to this one. AbstractObjectives -This study examines what factors are considered by college and university libraries in Indiana when making the decision to cancel subscriptions to print journals when an electronic equivalent is available. The study also looks at who the primary decision makers are in this regard. Libraries at public and private institutions of varying sizes were included in the study.Methods -An online survey was sent to seventy-three libraries in the consortium, Academic Libraries of Indiana. Structured interviews with administrators at nine libraries were also conducted.Results -Academic libraries in Indiana use subscription cost, redundancy of formats, student preference, budget reductions and usage as the primary factors in cancelling print journal subscriptions in favour of their electronic counterparts. There is also a preference for the electronic format for new subscriptions even when a print version is also available.Conclusions -The study indicates that subscription cost is the most important consideration in the journal cancelation process with other factors also having an effect on the preference of libraries for electronic versions of journals. The study also shows that libraries at public and private colleges and universities are at different Evidence Based Library and Information Practice 2011, 6.3 41 stages of moving away from print to an online-only journal format. At the same time, there is consensus that a small collection of print titles will still be needed. The primary decision-makers are librarians, faculty, and library administrators.

An investigation into the move towards electronic journals: a case study of NHS libraries in Kent, Surrey and Sussex

“…Post‐cancellation archive polices are also an issue for library staff. As McClamroch (p. 42) noted:

As electronic journals continued to displace print journals as the preferred format, concerns rose around the need for a permanent digital archive. Unlike print, there was no longer a physical object to retain.

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Quo vadis, Tekstil? Croatian Journal for Textile and Clothing Technology

“…The printed version of the journal as a form of communicating its primacy is lost to the dominant polyvalence of the electronic version in the online environment. Thus, it becomes a form of respect for the tradition of journal and nurturing a certain level of reputation [67].…”