Issues in Electronic Journals Selection and Management

Abstract

Electronic journals (or e-journals) are proliferating and many scholars consider them to be an increasingly important means of communication. Librarians must understand the potential of the new medium and the implications of incorporating it into the traditional library environment. This paper explores some of the collection development and collection management issues that bear on the decision to subscribe to these journals. Identifying appropriate sources of information and review media can aid in the collection development process; however, it is also crucial to evaluate current selection criteria to determine whether they are appropriate for e-journal selection. Integrating e-journals into the library collection raises the issue of providing access for all patrons and introduces cost factors that are in danger of being overlooked; namely, supplying the necessary wiring, hardware and software to facilitate using these journals. The librarian must also decide whether to treat e-journals as it does other journal holdings, providing checkin and full cataloging records, and determine if special procedures and records are needed. The introduction of e-journals into a library's collection also impacts its internal functions in less expected ways: the specter of new copyright considerations may cause the librarian to re-examine the definition of access; the role of the acquisitions librarian may include contract negotiation responsibilities and consideration of leasing access rights rather than paying for full subscriptions; archiving, once a traditional and nearly exclusive library function, may be dispersed among many stakeholders and require greater financial outlay and new levels of expertise.