Connections - A newsletter from the libraries to the faculty of The Claremont Colleges

Everyone is screaming for electronic resources these days; the convenience of having information at your desktop is irresistible, indeed. Libraries are adding electronic journals, databases, and indexing tools at incredible rates to their collections. Some libraries are even considering discontinuing their print subscriptions in favor of full text access. However, we must ask ourselves if this logic is sound. Libraries must consider the pros and cons of both print and electronic resources when deciding how to develop their collections.

Today print resources are not as heavily used as they once were. Library users prefer the electronic indexing tools and full text databases. Electronic tools are convenient and easy to search. Library users can retrieve specific information far more efficiently in electronic indexes. Electronic resources take up very little space, and multiple individuals can often use an electronic tool simultaneously. However, having the print copy of a journal makes for easy browsing. Browsing journals in electronic databases is difficult, if not impossible, and the results of searches in electronic indexes will retrieve results not always held by the library.

Once the decision is made to add electronic resources to the library's collection, certain needs must be met. The library must provide enough computers to ensure that the electronic resources are useable. Proxy servers may be needed for remote use. In addition, technically skilled library staff must maintain access to the electronic resources.

There are other problems with electronic tools, as well. Articles in the databases often aren't purchased outright by the library; the information is leased. Access to the materials may be guaranteed only as long as the bill is paid and the information offered by the vendor is of "commercial" importance. If the library ceases subscribing to an electronic resource, or if the vendor ceases providing the information, the information contained in that resource may be lost to the library and its users. If there is no print counterpart held in the library's collection, the library could face a serious blow to the value of the collection for research purposes, as well as rising interlibrary loan costs and frustrated users.

Print and electronic each have pros and cons, and the most important issue regarding both in libraries is the access vs ownership issue. Do we pay to have access? Or do we pay to have ownership? Ideally a library can incorporate access via electronic resources with the ownership of print library materials. Library users generally feel that owning a print copy, especially in the areas most heavily studied and researched, is vital. This ensures that the library will not suffer information loss at the hands of a database vendor or serious budget cuts. Many users see electronic access to full text databases as an excellent supplement to library collections, but they believe print materials need to be the foundation of the collection in order to ensure permanent access to major research areas.

So questions remain. Can libraries function as an archive for print materials and as a gateway to the vast network of electronic information available? Should they? The decisions are not easy, and their ramifications are seldom clear in today's rapidly evolving world of information.