E-Journals

     One of the hot topics in library technology is e-journals.  Electronic journals (e-journals, for short) are exactly like printed scholarly journals, except they are formatted to be accessed electronically.  These editions are usually purchased by institutions and indexed in their manifold databases for use by patrons.  As these electronic editions are displacing traditional print subscriptions, numerous advantages and disadvantages have become apparent.

     Libraries can derive several advantages from e-journals. First, e-journals increase accessibility for patrons.  While there are only a finite number of printed issues available, in theory e-journals should allow an infinite number of patrons to access them at their convenience.  Additionally, e-journals are made available more quickly than their printed counterparts, as they do not have to be printed, mailed, processed, and shelved before reaching the patron.  Rather, they can be uploaded and accessed by patrons immediately.  Another great advantage of e-journals over printed journals is that they are what patrons are demanding.  Use of printed resources is declining across the board, and providing electronic resources and indexing them in their catalogs is necessary to meet expectations.  One final advantage is that electronic journals can be browsed easily, and full-text articles can be indexed.  Pulling up relevant items or narrowing them by keyword is possible, as is searching for terms within the document.

     There are also a number of disadvantages tied to e-journals.  One disadvantage of e-journals is price.  Because individual titles are tied to particular vendors, libraries have had to reevaluate their subscription costs.  Often vendors will offer numerous titles packaged together, known as a "Big Deal".  This saves on the cost of some individual titles, but may include journals that are seldom used.  Additionally, weeding back issues of journals takes time and money, and purchasing journals that have been requested via patron demand may require different packages from a number of vendors.  Added to the cost of licensing titles for unlimited patron views, endeavoring to supplant a print journal collection with e-journals can become expensive quickly.  Additionally, e-journals require users to have a viewing device handy, such as a PC or tablet.  Printing the articles out is possible, but results in a less-attractive end product than would be seen in a printed journal.  

     The following video, provided by George Mason University, demonstrates how easy it is to search for journals and journal articles when they are available in an electronic format.