Electronic journals: Obligations, Options & Opportunities AERO 2009 Susan Garbarino Giannini Foundation Library University of California, Berkeley

Obligations Provide electronic access to current issues. Archiving for future access to journal titles; either through a “reliable” online repository (JSTOR) or by purchasing the print. For some titles we may still need both print and online access to serve all of our users.

Options to meet our obligations: Two extremes: Option 1: Cancel all print and hope someone archives it somewhere Option 2: Keep getting print; electronic access is not archival Mixed approach: Option 1: Rely upon campus electronic access for current issues but keep getting print as an archive Option 2: Get print until it’s in an online archive like JSTOR The best answer varies depending on the title and your users’ needs

Considerations Access: Is the title electronically accessible? Do you have reliable access for current issues? Will your campus pick up the cost or do you need to provide it? Archiving: Print vs online: Print is still the most reliable archiving option; our users may not value it but without it we risk losing access in the future. Is the title in a reliable online repository for the future? Indexing: Users need it indexed, (though they don’t always understand this). Google Scholar is incomplete and uncertain. If it’s not indexed but important to us, we index it locally.

Sample decision matrix AccessArchivingIndexing American Journal of Agricultural Economics Campus: electronic only GFL: both print and electronic GFL is local archive for it--not in JSTOR, not in print on campus. So we keep & bind print. Agricola, Econlit, CAB, SSI (Web of Science) American Economic Review Campus: print and electronic GFL: print and electronic Campus has print & electronic archive. We get in print and keep until they are archived in JSTOR. Agricola, Econlit, SSCI (Web of Science) Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics Campus: electronic only GFL: both print and electronic We keep binding print. Not in JSTOR, only in Blackwell Synergy. GFL local archive SSCI, SSI (Web of Science) CAB Agricola

Embargos: electronic archive, but not current access If...Then...For example.... Title is core and available electronically on campus. GF Library will sometimes purchase print. Journal of Human Resources Title is core and only available in print on campus. GF Library will purchase print. Land Economics

Opportunities Electronic journals allow for new services: Current Awareness: register a limited number of users for a selected list of titles and send current issues via Assist in creating bibliographies for faculty reviews: analytics within online catalog, collecting cites via Refworks Links to electronic versions in local catalog

Other Electronic Serials Born digital material: web links only or web links and print for archive? Considerations: Publishing costs Content? Will anyone else take the time to archive it? For example trade publications, state, local government documents, technical reports. What about faculty who primarily publish on the web?