Re: E-Journals in the Era of Print Cancellations

["Gerry Mckiernan" <GMCKIERN@gwgate.lib.iastate.edu>]

Hi Scott

>>> Scott Wicks <sbw2@cornell.edu> 10/15 12:51 PM >>>

Thanks for your interest in my posting and for your reponse.

>Of course, there is also the emerging trend to exploit the electonic
>medium and offer electronic access to an enriched resource which has no
>true counterpart in print.  I am referring to those resources which offer
>a web of hyper connections to other texts as well as incorporating audio,
>video, and datafiles.

This is a point that can not be **over-emphasized**.

There are a number of enhanced functionalities in soem E-journals that
emulate or surpass the features in print/paper journals. An
**outstanding** example is the HyperCite(tm) functionality within the
Institute of Physics (IOP) [UK] E-Journals. In a way this can compensate
for the 'browsability factor' that several respondees have mentioned.

"HyperCite(tm) links article references to the abstracts or full
text of cited papers. It enables you to follow links to references cited
in an article, or papers that have cited the article you are looking at.
This is achieved through links to INSPEC's database of scientific and
technical journal abstracts dating back to 1969, the Los Alamos preprint
server, and Institute of Physics Publishing s own Electronic Journal
Archive (1993-1998)."

Please see  the link from:

http://www.iop.org/EJ/welcome

Standard Service for more details on HyperCite(tm)

I think it is also the Open Journal Project at:

http://journals.ecs.soton.ac.uk/

for a most remarkable E-journal citation linking effort!

>The days of print archives as a solution to the lack of electronic
>archives seem to be numbered anyway.  Will it be the added cost factor or
>the lack of a mirror medium which effects this change?  Probably both.

My conclusion is that we are at a Cross Roads - Embracing the New (The
Electronic) but holding on The Old (The Paper).

Thanks again for your comments.

/Gerry McKiernan
Science and Technology Librarian and Bibliographer
Iowa State University Library
Ames IA 50011

gerrymck@iastate.edu

cc: LibLicense-L