ARL publishes report on transition to e-journals

[Karla Hahn <karla@arl.org>]

For immediate release:
December 5, 2007

For more information, contact:
Lee Anne George
Publications Program Officer
Association of Research Libraries
202-296-2296
leeanne@arl.org

ARL Publishes Report on Journals' Transition from Print to 
Electronic Formats

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has published "The 
E-only Tipping Point for Journals: What's Ahead in the 
Print-to-Electronic Transition Zone," by Richard K. Johnson and 
Judy Luther. The report examines the issues associated with the 
migration from dual-format publishing toward electronic-only 
publication of journals.

Publishers and libraries today find themselves in an extended 
transition zone between print-only and e-only journals. Both 
parties are struggling with the demands of dual-format publishing 
as well as the opportunity costs of keeping electronic journals 
operating within the bounds of the print publishing process, 
which are increasingly taxing the status quo for publishers, 
libraries, authors, and readers. There are suggestions that this 
transitional phase is especially challenging to small publishers 
of high-quality titles and places them at a disadvantage in 
relation to large, resource-rich publishers as they compete for 
subscribers, authors, and readers. The question of when 
dual-format journals will complete the transition to 
single-format (electronic) publishing is taking on increasing 
urgency.

The persistence of dual-format journals suggests that substantial 
obstacles need to be surmounted if the transformation to e-only 
publication is to be complete. This study seeks to create a 
better understanding of the dynamics of the transition process, 
both for librarians and for publishers. Neither publishers nor 
librarians independently control the process and the need to 
coordinate their activities greatly increases the complexity of 
the transition.

The report provides a synthetic analysis of librarian and 
publisher perspectives on the current state of format migration, 
considering the drivers toward electronic-only publishing and 
barriers that are slowing change. The authors provide an 
assessment of likely change in the near term and recommend 
strategic areas of focus for further work to enable change.

The work is based in large part on interviews conducted between 
June and August 2007 with two dozen academic librarians and 
journal publishers. Publishers and librarians were consulted 
equally in recognition that these changes pose significant issues 
of coordination. Interviews were conducted with collection 
officers and others at ARL member libraries and publishing staff 
of societies and university presses, publishing platform hosts, 
and publishing production consultants.

By commissioning this work and disseminating its findings, ARL 
seeks to better comprehend varying perspectives and to enhance 
broader, deeper understanding of the challenges and decisions 
faced by publishers and libraries as they navigate the transition 
that is underway. The report is intended to be of value well 
beyond the library community, serving publishers and others 
active in leading these transitions.

The report is available for free download from the ARL Web site at 
http://www.arl.org/bm~doc/Electronic_Transition.pdf

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit 
organization of 123 research libraries in North America. Its 
mission is to influence the changing environment of scholarly 
communication and the public policies that affect research 
libraries and the diverse communities they serve. ARL pursues 
this mission by advancing the goals of its member research 
libraries, providing leadership in public and information policy 
to the scholarly and higher education communities, fostering the 
exchange of ideas and expertise, and shaping a future environment 
that leverages its interests with those of allied organizations. 
ARL is located on the Web at http://www.arl.org/.

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Karla Hahn, Director
Office of Scholarly Communications
Association of Research Libraries
email: karla@arl.org