At LBCC Libraries,
as at all kinds of libraries worldwide, a transition is occurring that
will revolutionize scholarship. The library has evolved from a place that
stores paper documents into a catalyst that links students and faculty
with information in multiple formats located near and far. So too has
scholarly publication evolved, from paper newspapers and journals, to
words and images accessible over the web.
What does this transition mean
for libraries and their users?
- The number of paper subscriptions
will continue to decline as more and more content becomes accessible
over the web
- The library will no longer
own most of its newspaper or journal content in perpetuity but will
lease that content by paid subscription; if the subscription isn't renewed
the content no longer can be made available
So why are libraries giving
up permanent ownership of content in favor of subscriptions that don't
offer that security and that could become unaffordable over time? What
advantages do e-journals and e-newspapers bring?
- Anytime/anywhere access
to complete articles from any web-based computer
- Ability to search content
multiple ways: author, title, keyword, date (including multiple years),
type of article, level of "scholarship," limit to one or more
specific publications, etc.
- Ability to "cut and
paste" content from an article into one's report or essay
- Online help in citing references
from the journals and newspapers
- Ability to mark relevant
articles and create a file of marked articles; option to E-mail, print,
and download content for maximum flexibility in dealing with articles
retrieve
Despite these important advantages,
libraries continue to struggle with their mandate to maintain an archive
of information that will survive through generations; digital information
can't yet guarantee the permanence of information "carved in store,"
or even that reproduced on acid free paper. Today few libraries can afford
to duplicate formats, to offer both the paper and the electronic versions
of a journal. Like LBCC, most have cast their lot with an electronic future,
even though that future doesn't offer all the safeguards that they would
like.
For further information contact:
Nenita Buenaventura, Access and Electronic Services Librarian, nbuena@lbcc.edu
(562) 938-4576
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