Date: Sun, 23 Jan 2000 14:12:17 +0000
From: pmatthew@CC.GETTYSBURG.EDU
Subject: Fwd: electronic v. print holdings

Hi, all, I could use some guidance.  We're grappling with some issues here that
I know other people have grappled with.  I'd like to hear from anyone who's
pinned them to the ground.

Our library is facing a severe space crunch.  One of the suggestions is to toss
print copies of journals as long as we subscribe to an electronic equivalent
that's "stable."

Has anyone taken this step?  Did you toss all years that are available
electronically or just selected years?   If just selected, how did you choose?
Any outcry from the print-attached faculty on your campus?

What's "stable?"  I think most of us agree that JSTOR titles are more stable
than say EBSCOhost or Lexis-Nexis titles.  But what's stable *enough*?  Are
publisher's sites stable?  Does it depend on the publisher?  How do you know
who's stable?  Has anyone come up with objective criteria for measuring
stability?

And what about price increases?  A site can last forever but if we can't afford
it any more it won't do us any good.  Has anyone come up with a collection
policy that takes this into account?

Finally, has anyone come up with a print v. electronic journal collection policy
that I can take a look at?

I know this is a long post and the topic is convoluted, especially for a Monday
morning.  BUT I really will appreciate ANY help I can get on this! And I'll
gladly post a summary of responses to the list.

Thanks!

Pam Matthews
Acquisitions/Serials Librarian
Gettysburg College
Musselman Library
Gettysburg, PA  17325
717-337-7007 (phone)  717-337-6666 (fax)
pmatthew@gettysburg.edu