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By tracking the information‐seeking and reading patterns of science, technology, medical and social science faculty members from 1977 to the present, this paper seeks to examine how faculty members locate, obtain, read, and use scholarly articles and how this has changed with the widespread availability of electronic journals and journal alternatives.

Data were gathered using questionnaire surveys of university faculty and other researchers periodically since 1977. Many questions used the critical incident of the last article reading to allow analysis of the characteristics of readings in addition to characteristics of readers.

The paper finds that the average number of readings per year per science faculty member continues to increase, while the average time spent per reading is decreasing. Electronic articles now account for the majority of readings, though most readings are still printed on paper for final reading. Scientists report reading a higher proportion of older articles from a wider range of journal titles and more articles from library e‐collections. Articles are read for many purposes and readings are valuable to those purposes.

The paper draws on data collected in a consistent way over 30 years. It provides a unique look at how electronic journals and other developments have influenced changes in reading behavior over three decades. The use of critical incidence provides evidence of the value of reading in addition to reading patterns.

Libraries and professional publishers have long had a complicated relationship. This chapter seeks to explore some elements of this relationship in order to suggest new ways of regarding each of the parties and to generate an active dialog with the aim of improving collaboration and cooperation between them.

Describes the background and development of the migration to an electronic journal collection by the W.W. Hagerty Library of Drexel University, Philadelphia. Starting in 1998, this transition was a key component of the library’s strategic plan, and with a few exceptions, journals are purchased in electronic‐only format whenever possible. Drexel’s collection now consists of only 800 print subscriptions and 5,500 electronic journals. The transition has had a considerable impact on library staffing and workflow. Offsetting a decrease in the activity levels relating to the print format is a large increase in workload for serials’ acquisitions and management functions. A newly created position of electronic resources librarian acts as a focal point for the integrated development of all electronic resources.

Economic aspects of digital journal production and delivery were explored using Ithink Analyst, a modelling software package. Three models were developed and simulations were used to monitor the effect of variations in the values of key model elements. The results suggest that scholarly journals can be produced and distributed for a modest fee as long as there are at least 500 subscribers. Alternative models such as author‐funded production are also viable. While a model that shares costs between authors and subscribers is viable, administration of two sets of fees would increase costs.

It is an irrefutable fact that all libraries, no matter what their size, will eventually run into storage problems. The solution may be, as with the British Library, to build more and more storage facilities at the cost of millions of pounds. However, for industrial libraries a request for more and more storage space is not a solution which is likely to be well received by higher management, especially as the cost of floor space in buildings escalates. Therefore, another answer must be found. This paper discusses a policy which has been adopted in the libraries of the Research Division of Beecham Pharmaceuticals. The policy involves the extensive use of microfiche holdings of journals in the libraries; to the surprise of many people this has not generated adverse reaction from the customers. The policy does not stop the library stock from growing but substantially reduces the rate of growth. It is not achieved, however, without an overall increase in cost which must be set against the alternative cost of additional storage space.

The purpose of the paper is to present the influence open access initiatives (OAIs) have on journal cancellations in university libraries in South Africa.

The paper is based on part of a doctoral research project which examined the crisis in scholarly communication and its effect on university libraries in South Africa that was carried out at the University of KwaZulu-Natal from 2005 to 2009. Part of the investigation focused on open access (OA) and how it influenced journal cancellations. The survey methodology was adopted and the study used a quantitative approach to collect data on the influence of OA.

The findings revealed that OAIs had a very limited influence on journal cancellations in South African university libraries.

The study presents data that can be used by university libraries to develop, support and facilitate access to local research.

The study provides data on which future developments in OA as a solution to university library journal cancellations could be based.

The purpose of this paper is to present how the results of research on electronic resources use and selection policies in research libraries can be used.

The paper presents the sources for the establishment of the decision grid. The entire process and criteria for collection evaluation are presented from the funding perspective. The quantitative decision grid evaluation process used by the national body funding research, the Slovenian Research Agency, is presented and its use demonstrated.

For the fourth year in a row, the new decision grid was used to evaluate proposals for financing the library collections of almost one hundred research libraries in Slovenia. Each year, lists of quantitative evaluation elements are prepared and these are the basis for funding decisions. The results so far have been positive. The new criteria have encouraged involvement and participation in consortia, selection and deselection on the basis of the quality of journals, and movement to electronic journal collections.

The new research library environment that has evolved as technology has developed not only requires new models of functioning and providing service but also new financial resources. It is important to use library and information science research results and findings in the decision‐making process of the various involved parties regarding budget and financial inputs.

The paper offers new data on the old dilemma of how to best determine the value of a journal in the context of a library collection relative to the type of library and the needs of its users.

The introduction of electronic journals and electronic versions of journals has made serials collection management more complex. Libraries may want to offer a particular journal in both print and electronic formats, but find that it is often not financially feasible. More publishers are charging separately for the print or electronic versions or charging a higher price for both bundled together. As budgets become tight, librarians are having to choose between one format or another. In order to make the decision about what format to purchase, librarians need to know the format preferences of the users. To determine these preferences, library professionals can use several methods, such as user surveys, usage reports, and educated guessing.

In late 1997/early 1998, we conducted a survey dealing with library provision of electronic journals and other electronic resources. We compared the responses from a census of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) to a sample of non‐ARL Master’s, Doctoral, and Research institutions. Of the 299 libraries surveyed, 250 surveys were returned for a response rate of 83.6 percent. Analysis of the responses emphasizes the number and types of computers available in libraries, electronic resources in libraries, past and future cancellation decisions and archiving responsibilities. It was determined that both ARL and non‐ARL libraries offer extensive electronic services to their constituents. Libraries are beginning to cancel paper journals in favor of electronic versions. There is little consensus about who will archive electronic journals.

To provide an overview of the growing international movement of librarians, faculty members, and researchers who are working together to develop new methods of scholarly communication, including Open Access (OA) journals, digital e‐print archives, and institutional repositories, and to press for public access to federally funded research.

Key elements which have created pressures for change in the scholarly communication system are reviewed: the development and expansion of the Internet and networked technologies, and rapidly increasing journal costs due to consolidation, pricing structures and title aggregating in the commercial journal publishing industry. Effects of these pressures on libraries, citing Bowdoin College as an illustrative case, and examples of OA and affordably priced journal publishing models and OA principles and infrastructure are presented.

The OA movement has gained momentum and appears to be meeting with some success, with worldwide efforts to make federally funded research available to taxpayers and the largest science, technology and medicine journal publishers revisiting pricing structures. It is predicted that commercial journals, OA journals and digital repositories will continue to co‐exist as information resources for the scholarly community for the foreseeable future.

This is not an exhaustive history, but rather a review of movement highlights, written by a steering committee member of SPARC, a major scholarly communication movement stakeholder.

A useful overview for librarians and researchers unfamiliar with the movement who wish to educate local faculty members about the implications for their publishing and professional activities, as well as for commercial publishers and scholarly presses interested in learning more about the movement.