Comparing Library and User Related Costs of Print and Electronic Journal Collections
| Title: | Comparing Library and User Related Costs of Print and Electronic Journal Collections (ID: CSD2607) | | Author(s): | Carol Hansen Montgomery and Donald W. King | | Topics: | Electronic Journals, Library Budgets, Library Funding | | Source: | D-Lib Magazine | | Origin: | Community Contributions (2002) | | Type: | Articles, Papers, and Reports | | Abstract: | Drexel University's W. W. Hagerty Library received funding [1] in the Fall of 2000 from the U.S. Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to study the impact of a library's shift to electronic journals on staff and costs. The goals were to perform a comparative analysis for Drexel's library (a case study) and to develop a model for use by other libraries. The results suggest that, when all costs are considered, electronic journals are more cost effective on a per use basis. Storage space for low use bound journals is a major expense. A readership survey shows that the library's electronic collection is widely accepted and extensively used. Since there are methodological difficulties with the data available to make the analyses, this study should be viewed as a single first step to address an issue of critical importance to academic libraries. | | View this resource: | |
|
