Subject:  Re: Advice on notifying faculty of cancellations -- 2 messages
From:  David Goodman <dgoodman@Princeton.EDU>
Date:  Fri, 21 Mar 2003 16:32:16 -0500

Ian, please do not accuse me of irony in this--not this time. I adopted
a rather light tone because I thought the inquirer was worrrying
unnecessarily.

I myself did exactly what I advise doing, and so have many of my
colleagues in other science departments both at Princeton and elsewhere.
Science users get much better service from electronic journals than print.
I think this is so for almost all titles except review journals and
titles such as Science and Nature; for most titles, print is an
unnecessary waste of space, staff processing time, and money. (In all
respects except possibly archival protection.
I take that seriously, and for publishers which do not guarantee
electronmic access, I do keep print. )

The science faculty I have known agree--I have had many requests for
electronic to supplement or replace print, and in the last five years,
literally only one request (from a grad student) for the retention of
print --to permit easier browsing--but very very few journals are
actually browsed.

Personally, I followed an even stronger line: after the first
  year or two of substituting e-journals had convinced me, I now do not
even tell the faculty when we discontinue print. Apparently they never
notice, because they do not even look for print unless we have no
electronic version.
I recommend this only to the very  self-confident, and was doubtful
myself at first, but experience has convinced me it's safe.

Of course, if you yourself do not believe that e-journals offer superior
service,  or think of them as primarily a cost-savings mechanism, this
approach will not work.
Convince yourself first, by all means. You will find the users are ahead
of you in this.

...

 > 2 > From:  "Ian Woodward" <iwoodward@mail.colgate.edu>
 > Date:  Fri, 21 Mar 2003 08:33:14 -0500
 >
 >
 > I would like to take limited exception to Dr. Goodman's (off-hand)
 > suggestion that you utter the following:
 >
 > "We now have available all the APA journals back to the beginning
 > of the
 > journals, in complete electronic format, available both in and out of
 > the library .... For some of the most used journals we will have the
 > print format as well, available in the library.  We are sure you will
 > all be delighted at this great improvement in access and
 > usability. "
 >
 > If you were sure they would be delighted, you would not have
 > requested advice on the list.  Also, one seldom has insight into
 > others'consumer preferences that is reliable to that degree.  A
 > good deal of
 > promotional material is shot through with humbug.  Making use of it
 > misrepresents your views (which is wrong) to people you deal with
 > professionally (which is wrong and imprudent).  Also, your
 > correspondents are professors, i.e. more given to irony than most.
 > They
 > will screen it out at best or be mocking and irritated at worst.  Be
 > forthright and tell them what they are gaining, what they are losing,
 > and why the trade is worth it.  Best of luck, IW
 >
 >
 > I. Woodward
 > Serials Office
 > Colgate University Libraries
 > 13 Oak Drive
 > Hamilton, N.Y. 13346
 > USA
 > Ph:  315-228-7306
 > Fax: 315-228-7934
 > iwoodward@mail.colgate.edu
 >