Original posting on this topic is reproduced below; the responses follow
it:
From: Scheu, Mark
At the risk of posing a question to which there is no easy or definitive
answer, I am wondering if others have wrestled with the issue of
subscribing to some titles online only, instead of print or
print&online.
Specifically, I have in mind Annual Reviews -
www.annualreviews.org.
For 2003 subscriptions the online only price is less than the
print&online.
For 2002, access to print or online only was identical; print&online
was
slightly higher than print only, but we seem to have free access to
online while paying for print only.
Any experiences, reflections could prove helpful.
Thanks.
J. Mark Scheu (314) 516-5076 mark_scheu@umsl.edu
Head of Collection Development
Thomas Jefferson Library
Univ. of Missouri-St. Louis
fax: (314) 516-5281
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From: Mary Jo Thomas
<mjthomas@mac.edu>
We went with CHOICE Reviews Online only, straight from a paper
subscription.
It is cheaper, AND we had the option to make it available across
campus,
which is actually BETTER for our faculty than in paper. We are
pleased.
Mary Jo Thomas, Director
Henry Pfeiffer Library
MacMurray College
http://www.mac.edu/academ/lib.html
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From: Kris Gerhard <kgerhard@iastate.edu>
Iowa State University is in the middle of a project to
systematically
review our electronic plus print journal subscriptions, and
cancelling
all print subscriptions where the electronic is of sufficient quality
to
be reasonable substitute.
Kristin H. Gerhard
Collections Officer
303 Parks Library
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011
vox 515/294-2485
fax 515/294-2112
email kgerhard@iastate.edu
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From: Linwood DeLong <linwood.delong@uwinnipeg.ca>
At U of Winnipeg Library, in Canada, we are doing this a lot. If the
online version really is secure (not provided by an aggregator, where the
content is often subject to change), we have found acceptance by faculty
members and students. I think that the content provided by Project Muse
or BioOne, for example, would be quite secure.
It's important to be clear about the exit provisions, should your
institution decide to cancel its subscription to an online product. I'm
pretty sure that Project Muse guarantees the institution a CD (or CDs)
that contain the complete content that was available during the period of
the subscription. The problems of technological obsolescence
notwithstanding, an electronic copy of the content should be a secure
equivalent.
Linwood DeLong
University of Winnipeg
Linwood DeLong
Collections Coordinator
University of Winnipeg Library
515 Portage Ave.
Winnipeg, MB, Canada
R3B 2E9
Ph. (204) 786-9124
FAX (204) 786-1824
e-mail: linwood.delong@uwinnipeg.ca
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(4) From: beehler@lclark.edu
Here at Lewis & Clark College, we just made a decision to go with
online only for the Annual Review...titles we are currently subscribing
to in print. No one is sure if the print is being used and it would be
difficult to track that. The opinion was that most users would rather
print from the computer (if they wanted a print copy) than go to the
shelf to get hard copy.
Sandra A. Beehler
Acquisitions/Collection Development Librarian
Aubrey R. Watzek Library
Lewis & Clark College
0615 SW Palatine Hill Road
Portland, OR 97219
Phone: 503-768-7268
Fax: 503-768-7282
beehler@lclark.edu
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(5) From: Taisoo Kim Watson <watsontk@usq.edu.au>
At University of Southern Queensland, we nearly always select only
online
because of our user population composition, shelf space and budget.
Over
70% of our students study by external mode. But, if the print titles
usages
show high ( have been conducting serials usage survey at the main
campus
library 6 times a year, for 8 years), then we continue print and online.
We
are placing dummy books on shelves at the end of all print titles run
with
message that this title is available as F/T through certain databases
or
under trade names such as EBSCOOnline or SwetsNet. We are discouraging
the
use of print versions by on-campus students and staff, so we can
cancel
print versions.
Taisoo Kim Watson
Associate Librarian (Collection Management)
The Library
University of Southern Queensland
TOOWOOMBA QLD 4350 AUSTRALIA
Telephone: 61 7 4631 2466
Facsimile: 61 7 4631 1841
Email: watsontk@usq.edu.au
<mailto:watsontk@usq.edu.au>
Received on Fri Jul 26 2002 - 16:38:23 EDT