The Acquisition and Management of Electronic Resources: Can Use Justify Cost?

Abstract

As library collections increasingly become digital, libraries are faced with many challenges regarding the acquisition and management of electronic resources. Some of these challenges include copyright and fair use, the first‐sale doctrine, licensing versus ownership, digital preservation, long‐term archiving, and, most important, the issue of rising cost. How can public libraries continue to justify the rising cost of acquiring and maintaining digital resources? Can use justify cost? In this article, we report on a case study that describes a public library approach to the acquisition and management of digital resources. The Tulsa City‐County Library has established a special committee to evaluate electronic resources and make decisions regarding existing and potential resources. Several of the databases to which the Tulsa City‐County Library subscribes are discussed, as well as the methods used for evaluating those resources.