University of Delaware Office of Public Relations The Messenger Vol. 5, No. 4/1996 New electronic library resources provide 'just-in-time' document delivery Along with an abstract search system, UD's many electronic library resources include DELCAT, a computerized card catalog system, and thousands of full-text journals on-line. Beginning now and continuing for the next several years, electronic library resources will allow faster, more reliable and more expansive document delivery for researchers at the University of Delaware and elsewhere, Director of Libraries Susan Brynteson says. Already, faculty and students are logging onto the information superhighway to scan table-of-contents pages and article abstracts from 7,000 scholarly journals. "We're moving from a 'just-in-case' library procurement to 'just-in-time' document delivery," President David P. Roselle explains. "Instead of subscribing to journals just in case they might be needed, the new technology enables the delivery of specific journal articles at the time they are needed." Updated weekly, the new Current Contents/TOC (abbreviation for Table of Contents) system makes it possible to search 200 broad subject categories-from art to zoology, says Gregg A. Silvis, assistant director for library computing systems. University of Delaware students, faculty and staff can browse journals focusing on mathematics, literature, chemistry and other disciplines from work stations in the Hugh M. Morris Library or from desktop computers connected to the campus network, Silvis says. Mathematicians, for example, might want to check out the latest Journal of Algebra to catch up on "units of integral semigroup rings." Another click summons an abstract or summary of the article. If not owned by the library, the entire article may then be ordered via interlibrary loan, at no cost to the researcher. Thanks to a document-sharing arrangement with other major research universities, the majority of all journal articles are delivered via interlibrary loan within three to four days, according to Sandra Millard, assistant director for library public services. Beginning Jan. 1, 1997, researchers also will be able to order articles via computer, using an electronic form. Faculty have been provided computers during the past three years to access the new system, according to Susan J. Foster, vice president for information technologies. Using Current Contents/TOC, researchers can search for articles any time of day or night. In the future, she says, an "automatic notification service" also might alert faculty to important studies in selected publications. "This is an exciting change in the way the library delivers services to researchers," Foster says. "We're saying, 'You can now "visit" the library 24 hours a day.'" Library Networked Databases allow faculty to search electronically for both scholarly and general journal articles, Brynteson says. Using desktop computers, they will be able to browse the table-of-contents pages from thousands of scholarly journals and request articles for delivery from journals not owned by the library. The great paper chase Scholarly journals are notoriously vulnerable to thieves, page rippers, graffiti vandals and time. Electronic document delivery systems can help researchers avoid the traditional scavenger hunt for missing journal articles, which could be off the shelf or checked out. Electronic resources will always be available from a desktop computer at home, at the office, in the classroom or in the library. Electronic library systems also promise substantial savings compared to paper journal subscriptions. For example, the Louisiana State University library currently pays $13 per article, or about $50,000 annually, for materials ordered electronically, says Chuck Hamaker, LSU's assistant dean for collection development. This compares favorably with the cost of subscriptions to the journals. Annual subscriptions to some journals can amount to several thousand dollars each. High subscription prices, high annual price increases for journals and high maintenance costs add up to a model of "ownership" that is not sustainable for the long term, says Brynteson. At the University of Delaware, $2.85 million-or 62 percent of the library materials budget-was budgeted for academic journals in fiscal year 1995-96, compared to 43 percent during fiscal year 1986-87, according to Craig A. Wilson, assistant director for library collections. Provost Mel Schiavelli reports that, except for the College of Arts and Science, UD's largest college, the library's 5 percent library materials budget increase was the largest on campus this year. Yet, rising journal prices are rapidly outpacing the library budget. As journal prices keep rising, Roselle says, libraries across the country are dropping titles. In fact, UD now subscribes to fewer journals-at greater total cost-than two years ago. "But," Roselle continues, "it's not good economics to pursue a long-term strategy of consistently purchasing less for more. Clearly, a new strategy is required." "Because of increasingly high journal prices," Brynteson says, " many libraries find it necessary to cancel their subscriptions, often resulting in higher prices the next year to those who continue to subscribe." Fortunately, UD's "robust electronic network" allows alternative access to scholarly articles, Schiavelli says. "We could not continue to absorb 10 to 30 percent increases in the annual cost of serials," he says. "We had to change our ways, and our electronic resources put us in an excellent position to make a very positive change." Along with the Current Contents/TOC system, UD's many electronic library resources include DELCAT, a computerized card catalog system accessible through U-Discover!, the University's award-winning campus information system. Over 35 library networked databases put students and researchers in touch with journal topics ranging from folklore and nursing to political science. Two journal databases, IAC Expanded Academic Index ASAP and Business Index ASAP, include thousands of complete and full- text journal articles on-line and were made available from the library beginning in September 1996. A transition period Many faculty are enthusiastic about the changes that electronic library resources bring--speed, convenience and expanded access. Some researchers, however, have expressed concern about the shift toward high-tech document delivery. For example, Art History Prof. Maurice E. Cope fears that electronically reproduced artwork may be inferior to works published in paper journals. Moreover, he says, electronic databases tend to focus on scientific disciplines, rather than the humanities. "If you're writing about a work of art, you have to see it quite clearly," says Cope. Digital imaging technologies are still evolving, Susan Foster concedes. But, she adds, "They're getting better every day. Just think about how far we've come in the last few years." Raymond R. Wolters, Thomas Muncy Keith Professor of History, sympathizes with faculty who love to browse cherished paper journals. "Some researchers have raised legitimate concerns," he says. "In the long run, though, it's probably best to move toward electronic access, for economic reasons." Electronic library resources also allow faculty to spend more time with students, says Howard Garland, the Chaplin Tyler Professor of Business Administration who serves as department chairperson. "It's a great time-saver," he adds. "I see this as a positive step for academic publishing and faculty research." Like Cope, faculty at LSU were initially apprehensive about the quality of images transmitted by facsimile or computer. To address their concerns, the university offered two potential solutions, reports Hamaker. "First," he says, "we might ask to have the article transmitted again. Or, we can call a company that scans and prints articles, which are then sent to us by Express Mail. Image quality has been a problem for only 2 to 3 percent of the articles requested by researchers." Although existing databases may emphasize scientific journals, Hamaker says, increased use of electronic resources by science faculty could ultimately relieve budget pressures on the humanities and liberal arts faculty. Mary P. Richards, dean of UD's College of Arts and Science, foresees yet another potential benefit of electronic library resources. Rare literary manuscripts and other primary research documents-previously available only to scholars-can now be displayed on the Internet. "We're witnessing a democratization of scholarly information," she says. "Technology is opening up new avenues for students, because they often can't afford to travel to European libraries, and they don't have the credentials to inspect rare documents," she says. "As we make the jump from paper journals to electronic resources, I suspect we'll move through a transition period, but these systems are going to help more young people become scholars." Brynteson predicts growing use and widespread acceptance of library networked databases with the expectation that more and more information will be available electronically in the future, especially scholarly journal articles. "This is just the beginning!" she says. -Ginger Pinholster