Electronic Journal Subscriptions Research Articles

Causes of Ineffective Electronic Journal Subscription in Academic Library

Problem Statement: The high cost of e-journal subscriptions makes it difficult for universities to have several databases for scientific disciplines. Meanwhile, database subscriptions is one of the library accreditation assessment points that create prestige for universities. Purpose: This study aims to determine the ineffectiveness of e-Journal subscriptions in the IPDN Library. Method: Method: Data were collected by interviewing 13 respondents out of a survey of 90 with the Convergent Parallel Mixed Method. The obtained data were further analyzed using a technique adapted from Sin and Kim's research, which is based on the factors influencing a person's desire to use electronic journal database facilities. This technique analyzed the readiness of human resources, infrastructure, budget, and legal protection. Result: The result showed that the librarian's human resource's support is in the very good category. Furthermore, users possess very good computer and software skills, good motivation and electronic search skills, and moderate foreign language skills. However, university libraries still lack infrastructure support due to insufficient search equipment, inadequate internet network, and limited content. Although budget support is included in the lacking category, institutional support related to the legal protection is sufficient, while sharing and using e-resources are carried out with the National Library. In addition, due to the numerous academic institutions in Asia, sharing and use of e-resources have become difficult, with poor collaborations among universities within the country. Conclusion: The causes of ineffective e-journal subscriptions are budget constraints, limited supporting devices, poor internet network, limited content, as well as lack of e-resource collaboration and sharing with other university libraries. 
 Keywords: E-Journal Subscription; e-Resources; Library Services; Academic Library, IPDN Library
 
 
 Abstrak
 Permasalahan: Tingginya biaya langganan e-journal menyebabkan tidak semua perguruan tinggi mampu memiliki banyak database disiplin ilmu, bahkan banyak yang tidak mampu memiliki satu pun. Sementara itu, menjadi salah satu poin penilaian akreditasi perpustakaan dan menjadikan prestise tersendiri bagi perguruan tinggi. Tujuan: Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan mengapa langganan E Journal di Perpustakaan IPDN kurang efektif. Metode: Penelitian ini menggunakan Convergent Parallel Mixed Method. Pengambilan data melalui wawancara mendalam terhadap 13 informan dan survey terhadap 90 responden. Teknik analisa datanya menggunakan analisis yang telah diadaptasi dari model penelitian Sin dan Kim mengenai faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi keinginan seseorang untuk menggunakan fasilitas pangkalan data jurnal elektronik dan menganalisa faktor kesiapan SDM, infrastruktur, anggaran, dan payung hukum. Hasil: Temuan penelitian menunjukkan bahwa berkaitan dengan dukungan SDM pustakawan sangat baik, kemampuan menggunakan komputer dan software pemustaka sangat baik, motivasi dan keterampilan penelusuran elektronis tergolong baik, serta kemampuan bahasa asing sedang. Adapun berkaitan dengan infrastruktur masih sangat kurang, yang disebabkan karena perangkat pendukung penelusuran masih sangat kurang, jaringan internet sangat kurang, dan konten yang disediakan terbatas. Selanjutnya dalam hal dukungan anggaran termasuk dalam kategori kurang. Dukungan kelembagaan berkaitan dengan payung hukum tergolong cukup, akan tetapi sharing dan pemanfaatan e-resource hanya terlaksana dengan Perpustakaan Nasional saja, sementara dengan beberapa lembaga akademik di asia tidak berjalan baik, bahkan belum dilakukan kolaborasi dengan universitas di dalam negeri. Kesimpulan: Penyebab langganan e-journal menjadi kurang efektif di IPDN diantaranya adalah keterbatasan anggaran, keterbatasan perangkat pendukung, jaringan internet yang buruk, konten yang terbatas, serta belum dilakukannya kolaborasi sharing/pemanfaatan e-resource dengan perpustakaan perguruan tinggi lain.
 Kata kunci: Langganan e-Journal, e-Resources, Layanan Perpustakaan; Perpustakaan Akademik; Perpustakaan IPDN

Measure Twice and Cut Once: How a Budget Cut Impacted Subscription Renewals

ABSTRACT Library staff at California State University, Fullerton carried out a project to determine where budget cuts could be made in their electronic journal subscriptions. The team analyzed usage statistics by journal title, determined pricing for each journal, and created a formula to clearly define the cost effectiveness of continuing or deactivating a subscription. In this presentation, Keri Prelitz and Greg Yorba, with contributions from Ilda Cardenas, explain the special considerations, challenges, and outcomes of the project. Using this information, they will repeat the analysis annually, especially in the wake of additional budget cuts due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Unbundling practice: the unbundling of big deal journal packages as an information practice

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to introduce a theoretical framework and approach for studying the evaluation and decision-making practices through which academic librarians attempt to reduce the cost of electronic journal subscriptions – an organizational practice known as the unbundling of big deal journal packages.Design/methodology/approachThe article presents a literature-based conceptual analysis of several fields to delineate the elements of the practice of unbundling of big deal journal packages. Beyond analysing the prior literature, the discussion is supported by empirical findings from a pilot study on the topic conducted by two of the article's authors.FindingsThe main finding of the article is that the unbundling of big deal packages is a case of what sociologist refers to as decision-making in a social context. By reviewing previous studies, the article identifies the social and material elements constitutive of this practice. This, in turn, allows to develop questions and concepts for future research on the topic and to position it as an area of inquiry within the field of information behaviour/practices.Originality/valueThe article is the first attempt to conceptualize the unbundling of big deal journal packages by highlighting its phenomenological status as a type of information practice. In addition, the article proposes a research approach for studying this type of information practice by drawing on insights from the information behaviour/practice literature and enriching them through practice theory contributions in organizational studies and sociology.

Connecting Users to Articles: An Analysis of the Impact of Article Level Linking on Journal Use Statistics

Abstract
 Objective – Electronic resource management challenges and “big deal” cancellations at one Canadian university library contributed to a situation where a number of electronic journal subscriptions at the university’s health sciences library lacked article level linking. The aim of this study was to compare the usage of journals with article level linking enabled to journals where only journal level linking was available or enabled.
 Methods – A list of electronic journal title subscriptions was generated from vendor and subscription agent invoices. Journal titles were eligible for inclusion if the subscription was available throughout 2018 on the publisher’s platform, if the subscription costs were fully funded by the health sciences library, and if management of the subscription required title-by-title intervention by library staff. Of the 356 journal titles considered, 302 were included in the study. Negative binomial regression was performed to determine the effect of journal vs. article level linking on total COUNTER Journal Report 1 (JR1) successful full-text article requests for 2018, controlling for journal publisher, subject area, journal ranking, and alternate aggregator access.
 Results – The negative binomial regression model demonstrated that article level linking had a significant, positive effect on total 2018 JR1 (coef: 0.645; p < 0.001). Article level linking increased the expected total JR1 by 90.7% when compared to journals where article level linking was not available or enabled. Differences in predicted usage between journals with article level linking and those without article level linking remained significant at various journal ranking levels. This suggests that usage of both smaller, more specialized journals (e.g., Journal of Vascular Research) and larger, general journals (e.g., New England Journal of Medicine) increases when article level linking is enabled.
 Conclusions – This study provides statistical evidence that enabling article level linking has a positive impact on journal usage at one academic health sciences library. Although further study is needed, academic libraries should consider enabling article level linking wherever possible in order to facilitate user access, maximize the value of journal subscriptions, and improve convenience for users.

Globalisation and its Impact on the Journal Collections of Research Libraries in Australia: A Health Library’s Perspective

Globalisation has a direct impact on the collection development budgets of Australian research libraries. Electronic journal subscriptions make up a significant proportion of these budgets and are influenced by factors such as: the value of the Australian dollar, the domination of multinational publishing companies and available library funding. Open access publishing has developed in response to the escalating costs and restricted access of subscription journals. This paper focuses on these issues from the perspective of the Northern Territory Department of Health Library. Research libraries require sustained financial support from federal, state and territory governments to maintain the electronic resources their clients need.

A journal cancellation survey and resulting impact on interlibrary loan

Objective: The research describes an extensible method of evaluating and cancelling electronic journals during a budget shortfall and evaluates implications for interlibrary loan (ILL) and user satisfaction.Methods: We calculated cost per use for cancellable electronic journal subscriptions (n=533) from the 2013 calendar year and the first half of 2014, cancelling titles with cost per use greater than $20 and less than 100 yearly uses. For remaining titles, we issued an online survey asking respondents to rank the importance of journals to their work. Finally, we gathered ILL requests and COUNTER JR2 turnaway reports for calendar year 2015.Results: Three hundred fifty-four respondents completed the survey. Because of the level of heterogeneity of titles in the survey as well as respondents’ backgrounds, most titles were reported to be never used. We developed criteria based on average response across journals to determine which to cancel. Based on this methodology, we cancelled eight journals. Examination of ILL data revealed that none of the cancelled titles were requested with any frequency. Free-text responses indicated, however, that many value free ILL as a suitable substitute for immediate full-text access to biomedical journal literature.Conclusions: Soliciting user feedback through an electronic survey can assist collections librarians to make electronic journal cancellation decisions during slim budgetary years. This methodology can be adapted and improved upon at other health sciences libraries.

A journal cancellation survey and resulting impact on interlibrary loan.

The research describes an extensible method of evaluating and cancelling electronic journals during a budget shortfall and evaluates implications for interlibrary loan (ILL) and user satisfaction. We calculated cost per use for cancellable electronic journal subscriptions (n=533) from the 2013 calendar year and the first half of 2014, cancelling titles with cost per use greater than $20 and less than 100 yearly uses. For remaining titles, we issued an online survey asking respondents to rank the importance of journals to their work. Finally, we gathered ILL requests and COUNTER JR2 turnaway reports for calendar year 2015. Three hundred fifty-four respondents completed the survey. Because of the level of heterogeneity of titles in the survey as well as respondents' backgrounds, most titles were reported to be never used. We developed criteria based on average response across journals to determine which to cancel. Based on this methodology, we cancelled eight journals. Examination of ILL data revealed that none of the cancelled titles were requested with any frequency. Free-text responses indicated, however, that many value free ILL as a suitable substitute for immediate full-text access to biomedical journal literature. Soliciting user feedback through an electronic survey can assist collections librarians to make electronic journal cancellation decisions during slim budgetary years. This methodology can be adapted and improved upon at other health sciences libraries.

Evaluating and planning for interdisciplinary collection development: a case of an East Asian collection at the College of Staten Island Library

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to examine the challenges of collection analysis and development in response to a new academic interdisciplinary program in East Asian Studies at the College of Staten Island, City University of New York. Design/methodology/approach – First, the authors examined the needs of a new East Asian Studies program and its interdisciplinary nature. Next, an automated collection development tool was chosen that provides a snapshot of current monograph holdings and a comparison with other equivalent institutions. Lastly, the authors conduct an analysis of citations in key Asian Studies journals, library holdings in relevant top electronic resources and core journal subscriptions. For future collection building, vendor tools and patron-drive acquisitions are explored. Findings – Traditional methods of collection development can prove inadequate. A variety of tools and methods need to be used to guarantee adequate results. Originality/value – This paper builds on prior research related to developing interdisciplinary collections by using traditional methods of collection development with critical judgments.

Materialities of Text: Between the Codex and the Net

The cultural authority of the codex form of the book appears to be in a process of displacement ensuing from the rise of on-line digital media. The traditional material structures of the book--its physical forms and its institutional forms of production, circulation, and preservation--are often seen as being subject to dematerialisation; evaporating in the transitory appearances of the digital screen and in the proliferation of new systems of production. However, this issue of New Formations makes the case that the present historical juncture should be understood as a mixed media milieu, in which traditional and digital forms of writing and publishing coalesce and conflict in a complex array of textual materialities. Such materialities of text are at once sites of political and aesthetic experimentation, and of intense capitalization, intersecting features which are approached in the articles collected here through a broad range of theoretical and empirical themes: diagrammatic writing; the material reading formations of a best-seller novel; grey literature in the institutions of cultural studies; Black Twitter; the politics of Open Access and the artists' book; digital humanities and its political problematics; the bibliopolitics of the passport; and the political and aesthetic forms of independent publishing. New Formations has faced its own dilemmas in recent years around the politics of publishing and its materiality. Even during the relatively brief tenure of the current editorship, the nature of academic publishing has changed radically. Five years ago, the journal was still primarily a paper product; today only a tiny proportion of its readership will ever hold a bound and printed copy of the journal in their hands. This is in part because digitisation has made possible a very significant increase in readership, especially outside the UK, but it also because the key mode of distribution for scholarly journals has decisively changed: the vast majority of our readers now access the journal digitally, primarily through the vast bundles of electronic journal subscriptions that university libraries purchase from aggregators such as ebsco. Although this vastly increases the reach of the journal, it also massively decreases the effective income-per-subscription earned by the publisher. New Formations is an almost unique position for a British scholarly journal, in that it is neither wholly self-published, like the much-admired Radical Philosophy, nor the property of one of the large international publishing conglomerates. Our publisher, Lawrence & Wishart is one of the last remaining, and possibly now the oldest, independent progressive publisher in the UK, responsible for the dissemination of large parts of the work of writers such as Marx and Gramsci, among others; and university library subscriptions to the journal remain an important income-stream for them. As such, our obvious desire continually to expand the availability of the journal must always be balanced with the need to try to protect this important source of revenue for a great radical institution. …

Managing Collections Between the Chemists and the Consortium: Assessment, Engagement, and Creativity

ABSTRACT Managing The Ohio State University Libraries' collection of chemistry journals within OhioLINK's consortial environment mixes objective assessment with engaging the chemistry faculty and the consortium. Basing collection decisions on hard facts has the immediate goal of cost-effectiveness. The most effective technique is a mediated three-party dialogue of the library managers, the chemistry faculty, and the consortium with the long-term goal of reforming scholarly communication. Many methods to assess electronic journals are available, such as article download statistics, impact factors, Eigenfactors, cost per article and cost per citation data, and engaging faculty input. The reality, however, is that high subscription costs do not diminish the importance of chemistry journals to the faculty. Assessment of consortial electronic journal subscription packages is crucial to managing collection content effectively, but library managers and chemistry faculty often disagree about the appropriate assessment method. The most effective approach is a combination of several assessment methods coupled with clear and open communication of the facts. Communicating the results of the assessment techniques is more than a matter of giving the faculty the bad news. The most effective and credible assessment methodology always includes communicating faculty input to the consortium. Difficult decisions are easier to make, announce, and live with when all stakeholders openly share information.

Capturing Electronic Journals Management in a Flowchart

ABSTRACT In 2005, a team led by the Electronic Resources Access Librarian in the University of Nevada, Reno Libraries created a flowchart document illustrating the highly complex processes involved in considering, negotiating, purchasing, and implementing new electronic-journal subscriptions. The process of creating the flowchart is explained, and a copy of the flowchart itself is provided. The chart has proved useful in seeing how various parts of the e-journal acquisitions process fit together and in diagnosing and preventing workflow problems.

A Note from the Editors

As I'm sure most of you are aware, Nurse Author & Editor is now published by Cinahl Information Systems, a division of EBSCO Publishing. June Levy, MLS, the Managing Director of Cinahl, is now the Editor, and Suzanne Hall Johnson is now Editor Emeritus, a title that should not be taken as honorary—Suzanne is a vital force behind the new Nurse Author & Editor. Based in Glendale, California, Cinahl Information Systems, we hope you know, is publisher of the CINAHL® database, the world's premier nursing and allied health database. Because of our commitment to furthering nursing research and scholarship, publishing Nurse Author & Editor seemed to be a natural progression for us. We plan on continuing on the path Suzanne has forged while adding some stimulating side-trips of our own. Under Suzanne, Nurse Author & Editor was a cooperative effort at its best. She has always been an editor with a strong vision, but she's also always listened intently to her audience—a vibrant publication has been the result. We would like to continue this tradition, for the simple reason that the journal will work best when we know what's on your mind—what you like, what you don't like, what you would be delighted to see. We may not always agree, but we'll always listen. And naturally we'll be on the prowl for new articles and perspectives. So whether you're new at writing for publication or an experienced hand, have a new idea or fresh take on an old one, we're all ears. You can e-mail June at jlevy@cinahl.com or me at jshureen@cinahl.com, or give us a call at (800) 959-7167. You can also visit us on the Web at www.cinahl.com. And don't forget the ONLINE Nursing Editors' page at www.nurseauthor.com/ONE/naed.htm, which provides links to over 200 nursing and allied health journal and book editors. You may know less about our parent, EBSCO Publishing. Based in Ipswich, Massachusetts, EBSCO Publishing, a subsidiary of EBSCO Industries, is a worldwide leader in providing information access and management solutions through print and electronic journal subscriptions services, research database development and production, online access to more than 100 databases and thousands of e-journals, and e-commerce book procurement. EBSCO maintains a comprehensive database of more than 282,000 serial titles and upholds active relationships with more than 60,000 publishers worldwide. EBSCO has been serving the library and business communities for almost 60 years.

A Snapshot in Time

For the past decade, ARL has been tracking its members' expenditures on electronic resources. In 2001/02, 92% of the almost $1.4 million spent by the typical university research library on these resources went to electronic journals. Due to this significant and increasing investment in electronic journals, ARL undertook an extensive survey of its members' electronic journal subscriptions in fall 2002 to better understand the issues libraries are facing in ensuring that electronic resources can be used effectively on campus. A second survey was conducted in 2003 to ascertain how libraries were dealing with their journal package renewals and what licensing issues were of greatest concern to the community.

LAMDA: an example of a resource‐sharing document delivery service in UK Higher Education libraries

PurposeAims to describe the development of the LAMDA service, from its inception as an eLib project in 1995 to its current status as a commercial service.Design/methodology/approachDescriptions of the staff structure, turnaround times, equipment and software and the LAMDA Union list are all included.FindingsAttention is drawn to LAMDA's influence on subsequent projects such as Docusend and SUNCAT.Originality/valueThe article concludes that the steep rise in electronic journal subscriptions in academic libraries has been a major factor in reducing the number of LAMDA transactions made in recent years.

Changing patterns in interlibrary loan and document supply

The article looks at a number of possible reasons for the current downturn in the volume of interlibrary loan (ILL) and document supply (DS) requests in the UK higher education (HE) sector. Figures quantifying the demand for these services are examined at the outset by means of a short survey that was circulated to ten HE institutions. The impact of electronic journals on ILL and DS services is scrutinised and proven to be a significant factor. The bibliographic searching behaviour of university researchers is investigated by means of a short questionnaire, and the results of the survey are evaluated. The recent rise in the number of postgraduate students in UK universities is confirmed. The topics of library budgets and the impact of end‐user services are also examined. The article concludes that it is the increase in the number of electronic journal subscriptions that has had the most significant impact on the recent decrease in demand for ILL and DS services in UK academic libraries.

Understanding Embargoes and Utilizing Other Services

What are embargoes? When embargoes are implemented, how can one utilize other services to get to the content? This presentation made at the NASIG E-Journal Workshop in July 2002 focuses on the answers to those questions. It defines embargoes and explains how they benefit publishers and affect aggregators. It covers other services by which users can access the full text of embargoed titles, such as purchasing articles and linking from citations to electronic journal subscriptions.

전자 학술지가 전문도서관 운영에 미치는 영향 분석 : KIST 사례를 중심으로

본 연구는 정부출연연구소인 한국과학기술연구원의 사례를 통해 전자 학술지가 전문도서관 운영 전반 즉, 예산, 정보 이용, 업무, 시설, 공간에 미치는 영향에 대해 조사 분석하였다. 이러한 분석을 통해 전문도서관 운영 측면에서 고려해야 할 요소들을 다음과 같이 제안하고 있다. 첫째, 전자 학술지 도입은 전문도서관 운영 전반에 영향을 미치기 때문에 직무별로 접근하지 말고 큰 틀에서 접근하여야 한다. 둘째, 현재 전자 학술지는 대부분 콘소시엄을 통해 구독하는 경우가 대부분이지만, 정보 제공 기관들과 정보 공유를 위한 협력망 구축 및 구독 방법을 다양화하여야 한다. 셋째, 전자 정보 운영 환경에 맞게 직무 분석을 통해 업무가 재설계되어야 한다. 넷째, 물리적 규모가 아닌 원하는 전자 정보를 이용할 수 있도록 서고 및 장비를 재구성 할 필요가 있다. 마지막으로, 전문도서관처럼 자료의 보존 보다는 시의 적절한 정보 활용을 중요시 하는 기관의 요구에 따른 사고의 전환이 필요하다. This case study analyzed how electronic journal subscription had an effect on special library management including budget, information behavior, library operations, facilities, space et al. in KIST. This study suggests the followings; 1) Since electronic journals has an effect on overall operations of special libraries, draw big pictures not by functions. 2) Though the most method for subscription is consortium, it is necessary to build cooperation network for information sharing and vary cost architecture of information use. 3) Through job analysis, redesign jobs. 4) Reconstruct stacks and facilities. 5) It is necessary paradigm shift that it is more important to use than preserve materials in the special libraries.

Academic Journal Embargoes and Full Text Databases

The number of journals with embargo periods in aggregated databases designed for academic libraries has increased for the simple reason that the number of available full text journals in these collections has also increased. Misconceptions surrounding embargo periods deduce that embargoes diminish access to information by withholding the current full text from journals, when in fact, embargoes increase access to information for journals that otherwise would not be available in aggregated databases. Embargoes exist for the purpose of preserving a publisher's traditional print and electronic journal subscriptions. Full text databases and e-journals are distinctly different resources. The use of embargoes may be valid in one electronic resource, but not the other. Linking capabilities provide seamless access from embargoed journals with current indexing in databases to the corresponding current full text found in a library's e-journal collection. Embargoed information from a given journal is far superior to ...

A user‐oriented evaluation of digital libraries: case study the “electronic journals” service of the library and information service of the University of Patras, Greece

Provides an evaluation of the use of the electronic journals service of the library and information service of the University of Patras, Greece. Asks who these electronic journals service users are, how often they use the service, what their reasons for use are, where their access points for use are, and which search methods and services they use. In addition, invites users to choose between an electronic and print journal title subscription and indicate some factors that would discourage them from accessing an electronic journals service.

A Snapshot of Electronic Journals, August 1999

In response to scientific journal price increases, universities and academic libraries are taking action to encourage the introduction of lower cost electronic journals that will compete with the established commercial publishers. Additionally, universities are banding together to purchase electronic journal database subscriptions on more favorable terms than could have been obtained independently. It has recently been suggested at a meeting of university provosts that the ease with which articles can be posted on the Internet makes it possible to revise the entire mechanism of academic publishing. For example, scholarly societies could create certification boards to peer-review articles submitted for publication. Upon certification, the authors could post the articles marked with a “seal of approval” on their Websites. While this proposal raises additional issues to be resolved before it could ever be implemented, the potential for a diminished role of traditional print journals is worthy of further discussion. Similarly, the director of the National Institutes of Health has proposed the creation of a freely available electronic archive of peer-reviewed articles concerning biomedical research. As more representatives from divergent corners of the academic community call for changes to the current system of scholarly publishing, the established commercial publishers will ultimately be forced to change their pricing practices or will be bypassed by new electronic publishers.