Issues and policy: Electronic journals strategies at the University of York

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Johnson, Gareth J.

Affiliations: J.B. Morrell Library, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK. Tel.: +44 1904 433878; Fax: +44 1904 433866; E-mail: [email protected]; URL: http://www.york.ac.uk/services/library/

Abstract: Electronic journals offer many advantages to users and librarians, but also raise a number of challenges. The J.B. Morrell Library at the University of York currently offers its readers a mix of print and ejournals, accessed via its Web pages. Not the least of these issues is the cost of these resources, and the changes to working habits due to any migration from traditional print resources. While there are institutional level policies at York concerning the purchase of these resources, because funding is devolved to a departmental levels many of the hard decisions are taken by academic members of staff under the advisement of the Library subject specialist staff. Ensuring that users have sufficient training to make the best use of electronic resources is an integral part of the institutional induction programme. Many issues that will impact on future ejournal availability at the University remain as uncertain as the traditional model of publishing.

DOI: 10.3233/ISU-2001-213-410

Journal: Information Services & Use, vol. 21, no. 3-4, pp. 165-172, 2001