Commentaries on:

Evans, G. Edward and Zarnosky, Margaret R. Developing library and information center collections. 4th ed., Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 2000.  Chap. 7: Electronic serials
 

ELECTRONIC SERIAL

Publication in digital form
issued in successive parts
usually bearing numeric or chronological designations
intended to be continued indefinitely

Recent development:
first list 1991

BASIC CATEGORIES:

Electronic form only; never had a print version (generally free)

Electronic version of existing print journal (generally charge subscription):

• print version continues (normal today)
• print version discontinued (will be more common in the future)

SELECTION CRITERIA:

ONE SOURCE / VARIETY OF SOURCES:
similar to decision with traditional serials:
supplier / direct
One source: one password / one invoice / standardized gateway
Multiple sources: more control over selection
Some suppliers offer fixed packages only
Single source may be inadequate for major library.

ACCESS CONTROLS:
Internet Protocol:  supplier must have list of university IP addresses;
users off campus / at home may have difficulty consulting journals

Password distributed to users: library must distribute, update;
publisher may fear loss of control

Password embedded in library gateway:
publisher will require that only properly authorized users may reach gateway

PRESENTATION:
HTML text: simplest; not true to the original
may appear differently in different browsers
May include graphics
normally .gif (Graphic Interchange Format) or
.jpg (Joint Photographic Experts Group; pronounced JayPeg) graphics
Links from text to bibliography
(Possibly from bibliography to Medline)

ELECTRONIC IMAGE SYSTEMS:
Image corresponds to what is seen
on page of traditional journal
.gif, .jpg possible
often .pdf files (Portable Document Format)
(User must download free Acrobat Reader for .pdf
(European academic journals can use Real Page)
System must be easy to use / print to paper

ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Word-by-word indexing normal
Citations of original document
(may not always be obvious)
Can handle animated images,
music
statistical analyses etc.
(although so far this is rarely exploited)

COPYING RESTRICTIONS:
Normally user affiliated to institution
can download electronic copies for personal use
but not for distribution
Library (especially University / Special)
should have right to retain archive copies

LINKED /UNLINKED SUBSCRIPTIONS:
Subscriptions to electronic journals can be:

• freely available to all purchasers
• limited to those who already purchase paper version.

RELIABILITY:
Essential to use trustworthy supplier;
library relies on electronic version
held by supplier / publisher;
electronic version taken down;
publisher fails to post issues of journal;
supplier suddenly increases prices

REPUTATION
Reputation / authority of publisher
Peer-reviewed / not peer reviewed

INTEGRATION:
include titles / multiple formats / latest issue received in catalog?
URL / Gateway in OPAC?
Subscribed items only? Free e-journals too?
Catalog major package of titles (compare with microfilm)

SOURCES:
Directory of Electronic Journals, Newsletters and
Academic Discussion Lists. Washington,
Association of Research Libraries, 1991-
U. Iowa Main Library, Reference Desk,  Z699.22 .D574
Most volumes also contain useful articles discussing the field
First ed. 27 electronic journals;
67 electronic newsletters/ discussion lists!!!
7th ed., 1997:
http://www.arl.org/scomm/edir/pr97.html
included twice as many serial titles as previous edition:
1,465 titles categorized as electronic journals, of which
1,002 peer-reviewed; 708 charged for access

Books and periodicals online; ed. Nuchine Nobari.
Washington,  Library Technology Alliance, 1998.
Wide coverage: titles indexed or abstracted
in databases, on CD-ROMs etc.
2022 pages; 85,000 titles;
covers 268 bibliographic, 7,400 full-text data bases.
(Not in U. Iowa Main Library)

Net.Journal directory
the catalog of full-text periodicals archived on the World Wide Web
Serials and newspapers;
full text accessible via browser
6th ed. 2000; 15,000 items
Published by Hermograph Press, Woodstock, GA:
http://www.hermograph.com/
U. Iowa Main Reference Desk PN4833 .N48

ELECTRONIC GUIDES: GENERAL:
E-journals.org: part of World Wide Web Virtual Library:
http://www.e-journals.org/
IPL:
http://www.ipl.org/reading/serials/
Serials in cyberspace:
http://www.uvm.edu/~bmaclenn/
Colorado Alliance of /Research Libraries:
http://www.coalliance.org/
NewJour: the archive for the Internet list for
new journals and newsletters available on the Internet:
includes index by e-journal titles:
http://gort.ucsd.edu/newjour
OCLC FirstSearch:
Electronic Collections Online:
2,300 titles:
(not available via U. Iowa FirstSearch password):
http://www.oclc.org/oclc/menu/eco.htm

ELECTRONIC GUIDES: specific subject / geographic areas:
Electronic journals and periodicals in Psychology and related fields:
http://psych.hanover.edu/Krantz/journal.html
Electronic journals in Biology:
http://mcb.harvard.edu/Admin_Res/Library/ejbio.htm
Religious Studies E Journals and Print Journals Online:
http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/rel/ejournal.htm
National Library of Canada Electronic Collection:
serials and books:
http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/eppp/e-coll-e.htm
Australian electronic journals:
http://www.nla.gov.au/oz/ausejour.html

E-JOURNAL PUBLISHERS: NON-COMMERCIAL:
SPARC: Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition:
Collaborative system for academic e-journal production:
http://www.arl.org/sparc/home/index.asp?page=0
List of SPARC journals
http://www.arl.org/sparc/core/index.asp?page=c2

International Consortium for the Advancement of
Academic Publication, Athabasca University, Canada
http://www.icaap.org/

http://southernlibrarianship.icaap.org/

Project Muse: Johns Hopkins University Press:
http://www.press.jhu.edu/muse.html
Over 100 titles; sample issues online
Not for personal subscribers;
Note useful faq:
http://muse.jhu.edu:80/proj_descrip/faq/

JSTOR (U. Michigan and others):
http://www.jstor.org/

Internet Library of Early Journals:
cooperative UK program:
six key 18th, 19th century journals:
http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/ilej/
 

E-JOURNAL PUBLISHERS: COMMERCIAL:
Elsevier:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/
IDEAL: International Digital Electronic Access Library:
Academic Press / Harcourt:
http://www.idealibrary.com

SUBSCRIPTION AGENTS etc.:
SYNERGY:
Combined list of Scientific, Medical and Technical journals:
Links lead to contents list; full text in .pdf files
Non-subscribers can purchase single items
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/
List:
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/journallist.asp
EBSCO: thousands of e-journals via one site:
http://www.EBSCO.com/ess/services/online.stm
FAXON:
http://www.faxon.com/subserv/ejsvc.htm
SWETS:
http://www.swetsnet.nl/

SPECIFIC E-JOURNALS:
D-Lib Magazine:
http://www.dlib.org/dlib.html
Journal of Electronic Publishing:
http://www.press.umich.edu/jep/
New Journal of Physics
http://www.njp.org/
Information Research:
http://www.shef.ac.uk/~is/publications/infres/ircont.html
The Journal of Library Services for Distance Education:
State University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA:
http://www.westga.edu/~library/jlsde/
Current Anthropology: enhanced with music etc.:
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/CA/journal/index.html
 

FUTURE OF PRINT JOURNALS:

Can you name types of print periodical
which have already disappeared or are under threat?

ALREADY ALMOST DISAPPEARED:
Weekly illustrated magazines (Life etc.) (competition from TV)
abstracting and indexing journals,
bulletins and newsletters of associations etc.;
small literary / poetry magazines

UNDER THREAT:
Weekly magazines (Time, Newsweek);
scientific journals (overpriced; controlled by monopolies;
traditional format materials aimed at audience
noted for high Internet literacy)
newspapers(?)

Which features of traditional journals
which may usefully be carried over into the electronic environment?

Peer review?

Volume / issue numbering?

Regular publication schedules?
 

FUTURE OF E-JOURNALS:

What factors in your opinion may encourage the growth of e-journals?
Distinguish between real and potential (or even illusory) factors.

Lower costs

Easier access to information

Quicker access to information

Wider access to information

Available to groups who did not previously have access

Less work for librarians

Unnecessary to use subscription agents

Reduced use of paper

Animations, music, films, interactive elements
 

CONSTRAINTS TO SPREAD OF E-JOURNALS

Peer-reviewed periodicals used to measure research productivity

Established periodical publishers may come to dominate area,
impose restrictions, set high prices

Lack of standard licensing agreements

Unwillingness of publishers to negotiate via consortia