Electronic Journals in the Digital Environment: Issues and Future Trends

Building and managing electronic journal collections in the digital environment poses many challenges for librarians, as electronic journals exist in a complex and constantly changing state involving different digital formats, new pricing structures, and various access routes. This paper reviews critical issues that North American libraries face in managing electronic journals, including a brief history, the selection criteria, consortia purchasing, licensing, operational costs, providing access, user support, usage statistics, canceling print subscriptions, and electronic journal archives. Future trends discussed include open access e-journals, and the continuing development of e-journal collections and best practices in managing this essential constituent of academic library collections.