----------1
From: vtaffurelli@nypl.org
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 2002 12:11:12 -0400
Rick Anderson wrote:
"Not all online resources are better than their print counterparts, of
course. But most of them are."
Be very cautious about cancelling print in lieu of online access. Many
publishers impose an embargo period for making issues available
electronically. Not all journals are imaged. Some are not completely
full-text. Sometimes researches need to see the juxtaposition of articles
with advertisements or other articles. Some backfiles are incomplete.
Although there are many advantages to using electronic versus print, as has
been pointed out many times, there are just as many, if not more,
drawbacks. At a previous NASIG Conference (I don't remember which one),
someone (I don't remember who) conducted a title-by-title comparison of the
print and the so-called electronic version. (Perhaps someone can supply the
conference and presenter information). In some cases, whole articles were
missing from the electronic version; in other cases, entire issues were
missing, even though they were listed in the TOC &/or holdings statement.
Some titles are available in pdf format, but the scanned page is illegible.
Many electronic versions don't include reviews or editorials. Full-text
does mot always mean FULL-TEXT.
The ideal scenario is to maintain both formats, if your library can afford
the cost and the space for storing the print or microfilm replacememt.
Just my 2 cents worth.
Have a safe 4th of July everyone.
Virginia Taffurelli
Head of Technical Processing
Science, Industry and Business Library
The New York Public Library
188 Madison Avenue
New York NY 10016-4314
Phone: (212) 592-7234
FAX: (212) 592-7233
----------2
From: Dena Luce <dluce@faulkner.edu>
Subject: RE: Print vs Online
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 2002 11:17:17 -0500
Vickey,
We have only cancelled a small portion of our print titles as we are also
concerned about the fluctuation of titles and coverage dates on the
databases. We cancelled some of the weekly titles such as Time, Newsweek,
and U.S. News & World Report. I've been converting more titles to microform
due to space needs but I'm not prepared to cancel anything else at this
time. Some of our patrons prefer to print the articles and some like to
photocopy them, so there's a happy medium. The databases are great for our
extended campus and off-campus students who might not have access to a
journal collection and the main campus students can use either. Hope this
helps.
Dena Lahue Luce dluce@faulkner.edu
Extended Services Librarian (334) 386-7482 (ph.)
Nichols Library (334) 386-7481 (fax)
Faulkner University
5345 Atlanta Hwy.
Montgomery, AL 36109-3398
-----Original Message-----
From: Baumli,Vickey [mailto:VBAUMLI@MAIL.NWMISSOURI.EDU]
Sent: Wednesday, July 03, 2002 7:58 AM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: Print vs Online
Our Reference Librarians are so enthralled with all the new full text
databases that we are having to cancel more and more of our print
periodicals to finance the online things. I am concerned that it won't be
but a few years and we will have no current periodicals left. Can anyone
tell me what trends their libraries are following and how they determine
where the happy medium is?
Thanks and everyone have a safe and happy July 4th!
Vickey Baumli
Serials Specialist
Owens Library
Northwest Missouri State University
Maryville, MO 64468
660-562-1536
----------3
From: "McCaffrey, Thomas" <McCaffrey@champlain.edu>
Subject: RE: Print vs Online
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 2002 12:39:29 -0400
Oh, boy--I hardly know where to begin on this one. Probably lucky that I
don't have any real amount of time to answer this, but I can't resist
bursting your bubble.
"a lousy way to disseminate information"? indeed!! Give me the
printed word anytime. There is so much unreliable about online, so much
garbage out there! I'm just at a loss for words, which I seldom am.
Scholars have been pouring over books for thousands of years, and hopefully,
will continue to do so for eternity. The internet would be nowhere were it
not for the collected wisdom of the ages available in books. Every day,
millions of children are turned on to the joys and advantages of reading
BOOKS--not computer screens, which are flipped like so many TV channels and
deleted or lost forever.
Eventually, soon, this "information age" will be supplanted by some
other form of progress, something which will sweep civilization into the
next "gotta-have-it" mania, but you can be sure that somewhere, someone will
bring a book along, for leisure reading, for inspiration, or for
instruction.
Now I have to get back to the work of checking in our BOOKS &
Periodicals. Thanks for "listening".
-----Original Message-----
From: Rick Anderson [mailto:rickand@UNR.EDU]
Sent: Wednesday, July 03, 2002 10:55 AM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: Re: Print vs Online
> Our Reference Librarians are so enthralled with all the new full text
> databases that we are having to cancel more and more of our print
> periodicals to finance the online things. I am concerned that
> it won't be
> but a few years and we will have no current periodicals left.
I think the question your library needs to be asking itself is not "Do we
have too much online and not enough print?" but rather "Are we making the
most and best possible information available to our patrons in the way that
works best for them?" Our library is tending in the same direction as
yours -- generally replacing print with online. Why? Because print is, and
has always been, a pretty lousy way to disseminate information (especially
reference information). In the past we didn't have a choice. Now we do.
Online products are usually deeply searchable, can be used by multiple
patrons at a time, can be used remotely, and are available 24 hours a day.
Print products are generally searchable in only a very limited way, can be
used by only one patron at a time, can only be used in the library, and are
only available when the library is open. Not all online resources are
better than their print counterparts, of course. But most of them are.
Does this trend mean that some of us may end up with no current periodicals
in print form? Maybe (though I doubt it). But again, that's not the
important question. The important question is how we can best meet the
needs of our patrons. We need to be able to answer that question honestly,
and follow the answer wherever it takes us.
-------------
Rick Anderson
Director of Resource Acquisition
The University Libraries
University of Nevada, Reno "I'm not against the modern
1664 No. Virginia St. world. I just don't think
Reno, NV 89557 everything's for sale."
PH (775) 784-6500 x273 -- Elvis Costello
FX (775) 784-1328
rickand@unr.edu
----------4
Date: Wed, 03 Jul 2002 11:50:24 -0500
From: Kelly Joyce <joyce@hanover.edu>
Subject: Re: Print vs Online
Hello: I have just begun working as the head of Periodicals here (though I
have lots of past PER experience, albeit when 'online' wasn't an
issue). From discussing this issue with my predecessor, we have been
somewhat hesitant to jump on the online bandwagon, for the primary reason
that there are few guarantees that this resource will be available
indefinitely. Should we get rid of print copies going back 50 years and
then the online provider goes under or decides to drop that particular
title, we would have nothing to fall back on.
The exceptions to this are with Project Muse and JSTOR, both of which I
understand will provide access; I believe JSTOR will give us everything on
CDRom should something happen.
It's an issue that I'm preparing to evaluate in the next year, along with
electronic subscriptions that come with print version. We have several
faculty members that are unhappy that we don't provide individual title
access, but rely on databases like EBSCO, JSTOR, etc.
Curious to see other responses to this topic.
- Kelly Joyce
