Subject:  RE: adding online versions -- Cindy Lafferty
From:  "Mark Ferguson" <mferguson@cse.edu>
Date:  Thu, 10 Apr 2003 11:39:27 -0400

Cindy:
We have been going through this same process for some time. You first
need to determine what your priorities are.  In brief, if ease of use
for your patrons is your top priority than e-journals may be the way you
want to go, since they can provide seamless access from database
searching to the journal itself with the proper setup (this would
require "open urls" offered by e-journal management companies such as
Serials solutions which you may want to look into.) It also eliminates
problems of theft and vandalism of the collection, allows for the
posibility of remote access for patrons through the internet and
multiple use by patrons of the journal issue at the same time.
The big problem with e-journals is there is no guaranteed archival
access to these titles.  If the publication goes out of business or you
drop the subscrition for whatever reason, you lose all back issues of
the journal along with your current subscription.
Two additional points to consider.  First, more and more journals are
offering ejournal access for free if you get the print subsription.
Secondly Electornic Collections Online, an OCLC service, provides
ejournal access to a large number of publications and for a nominal fee
will guarantee archival access to all titles you subcribe to through
them.  This may provide an answer to some of these problems.
All libraries are struggling with these same issues.  Its a matter of
defining what your patron needs are and how best to spend the limited
funding available to get the best mix of formats.

Good luck!

Mark Ferguson

-----Original Message-----
Subject: adding online versions -- Cindy Lafferty
From:  "Lafferty, Cindy" <CLafferty@sf.edu>
Date:  Wed, 9 Apr 2003 09:07:32 -0500

Hello Everyone!

I am new to serials and feel quite at a loss.  My boss has asked me to
look into ways to determine whether we should spend money on the online
versions of journals we already receive.  How do you decide if it is
worth it to spend money on an online version of a journal you receive in
print?

Many thanks for your assistance.

Cindy Lafferty

Librarian Assistant

University of Saint Francis

CLafferty@sf.edu

(260) 434-7454