Migration to an electronic journal collection in a hospital library: implications for reference service

This article provides a perspective on the migration to an electronic-only journal collection in a hospital library and its effect on reference services, information-seeking, and library use patterns. Bellevue Hospital Center in New York, NY is one of the first major teaching hospitals in the United States to begin a fundamental shift to a current, electronic-only journal collection. This article describes the process and develops a model for use by other hospital libraries, with commentary on the impact on reference services to library users. Key findings are that physicians, residents, and nurses have come to expect electronic journal collections and use the Internet in the hospital library to access electronic journals. Similar to many academic health sciences libraries, the reference desk in a hospital library has become more like a technical support desk. Users who contact the library have questions about access to the library's electronic resources or about searching techniques. In the future, medical reference librarians will continue to assist searchers who cannot find what they are looking for and will assist those who repeatedly get results that do not match their information needs.     

Print versus electronic journals: a preliminary investigation into the effect of journal format on research processes

Purpose: To begin investigating the impact of electronic journals on research processes such as information seeking, the authors conducted a pilot journal-use study to test the hypothesis that patrons use print and electronic journals differently.Methodology: We placed fifteen high-use print titles also available in electronic format behind the circulation desk; patrons were asked to complete a survey upon requesting a journal. We also conducted a parallel survey of patrons using library computers. Both surveys asked patrons to identify themselves by user category and queried them about their journal use.Results: During the month-long study, patrons completed sixty-nine surveys of electronic and ninety surveys of print journal use. Results analysis indicated that fellows, students, and residents preferred electronic journals, and faculty preferred print journals. Patrons used print journals for reading articles and scanning contents; they employed electronic journals for printing articles and checking references. Users considered electronic journals easier to access and search than print journals; however, they reported that print journals had higher quality text and figures.Discussion/Conclusion: This study is an introductory step in examining how electronic journals affect research processes. Our data revealed that there were distinct preferences in format among categories. In addition to collection management implications for libraries, these data also have implications for publishers and educators; current electronic formats do not facilitate all types of uses and thus may be changing learning patterns as well.     

论电子医学期刊编辑人才培养——以中华医学电子音像出版社有限责任公司为例

针对目前电子期刊出版业普遍存在编辑人员流动性大、复合型多媒体制作人才缺乏等诸多问题,中华医学电子音像出版社从实际情况出发,制定近期编辑人才培养计划及其实施方案,要求电子期刊编辑人员必须掌握传统纸质期刊编辑出版基本流程、规范、要求及标准,熟悉多媒体课件制作流程中采、编、摄、制及光盘制作开发工具和相关应用软件,掌握网站建设、网页设计及相关网络出版知识和技能,力求从多方面着手培养复合型编辑人才。     

The scientist is appointed an editor: Adjusting the journal collection at stages in a client's career

A study of 66 biomedical scientists showed that few (four) maintained a level research output after being appointed to journal editorial boards. They were much more likely to have demonstrated a significant drop (− 31% average) or rise (+ 70% average) in the number of papers when three-year pre- and post-appointment periods were compared. Yet it is argued that these fluctuations do not justify either precipitous journal cancellations or freewheeling additions to the collection. In the 32 cases of declining output, editors maintained much (73%) of their original journal assortment even if this meant fewer repeat appearances in some journals. In the 30 cases of increasing output, the tendency to add new journals (+ 37%) with each new paper was tempered somewhat by repeat appearances in their original assortment. Nonetheless, for those times when the budget either demands or allows, most adjustments can be made involving two types of journals identified as swing outlets for these editor/authors.     

Radical Relocation: Adapting Print Collections to an E-Centric World

With the advent of e-journal preservation projects and publisher digitization of journal backfiles, academic libraries have begun to move their corresponding print volumes of these titles to storage to avoid duplication and save space. This article examines the supporting justifications, outreach mechanisms, and logistical procedures undertaken at American University Library to relocate the entire bound journal collection to offsite storage in order to address severe physical space constraints and to support patron use of and preference for electronic journal content. In addition, the article presents preliminary data regarding the use of bound volumes sent to storage and an overall analysis of this transformational project.     

关注科技期刊编辑的职业健康——科技期刊编辑职业危害因素探析

探析科技期刊编辑所面临的职业危害因素及其对他们身心健康的影响,分析技期刊编辑职业紧张及职业倦怠的成因并提出预防对策,呼吁人们关注科技期刊编辑的职业健康。认为应把科技期刊编辑职业健康及其影响因素的研究列入科技期刊学研究的范畴。     

如何通过学术会议促进组稿和审稿工作

参加学术会议是科技期刊编辑日常工作的一项重要内容。本文对编辑参加学术会议从会前调研准备、会间工作开展及会后信息整理和跟踪联系等方面进行分析和总结,提出一些可行的方法和建议,并认为编辑参加学术会议要有主动性和计划性。     

Citation analysis for collection development: A study of international relations journal literature

By examining citations in international relations journal articles published between 2000 and 2005, this study reveals that international relations scholars more heavily rely on books rather than on journals. Less than 2% of the citations are from electronic resources. Materials in foreign languages are utilized insignificantly, with English language citations dominating the research literature. The analysis of subject scatter details the main disciplines that are associated with international relations research. Qualitative scholars cite a higher proportion of monographic literature, while quantitative scholars display a higher journal citation rate.     

Learning to be confident and capable journal reviewers: an Australian perspective

Journal peer review has been the subject of much research. However, the learning process through which reviewers acquire their reviewing ability, and reviewers' own perceptions of their capability have rarely been a focus. This interview study asked three questions about reviewer capability and training. At what stage did you gain confidence in reviewing? How did you learn how to review? Is formal training necessary? The interview is part of a mixed‐method project studying experienced Australian reviewers. The respondents indicate that learning to review is a continuous cycle in which formal training will not work. Following a mostly self‐guided initiation, new reviewers establish personal reviewing patterns. By trial and error, the patterns are consolidated and the reviewers eventually feel ‘confident’. ‘Decisiveness' is a good sign of becoming confident. Most respondents emphasized that journals could play a crucial role in producing good reviewers, e.g. by specifying unambiguously their expectations of ‘good reviews’.     

A new approach to collection bias in academic libraries: The extent of corporate control in journal holdings

Questions of collection bias in library journal collections usually turn on a left-right political contrast. This article presents another approach that distinguishes between corporate and non-corporate controlled publications. Using this method, the catalog holdings of all Canadian academic libraries were searched to determine the penetration of socio-political titles of mainstream “corporate publishers” and those of “small publishers.” Canadian academic libraries privilege, by a wide margin, mainstream titles published by corporate entities, although some libraries have impressive “small publisher” collections. This article also analyzed the availability of mainstream and small publisher journals provided by ten popular electronic vendors. These vendors provide very low access to non-corporate “small publisher” titles while covering 100% of surveyed mainstream titles. The implications of such provision rates are examined from the perspective of the scholarly browsing process and the role of the university.     

Policy perspectives on electronic collection and dissemination of information

This article discusses the relationship of OMB Circular No. A-130, the Management of Federal Information Resources, to the Paperwork Reduction Act. Information collection and information dissemination are treated unequally in the Act. OMB's proposed policy guidance on electronic collection enumerated conditions favorable to electronic collection, and criteria for design and development of electronic collection systems. Issues raised by commenters included the response burden for electronic collection, the importance of benefit-cost analysis, and the advisability of waivers. Policy issues to be treated in forthcoming proposed OMB policy guidance on electronic collection include requirement of agency inventories of information dissemination products and services, the meaning of adequate notice prior to initiating or terminating dissemination, and other general guidance.     

Evolving journal costs: implications for publishers,libraries, and readers

In this article, we summarize the cost implications of print and electronic publishing for scientific scholarly journal publishers, libraries, and scientists. In each case, we developed detailed cost models to demonstrate the importance of factors that affect publishing and decisions made by libraries and scientists to determine whether to subscribe to a journal; if so, in print or electronic medium, and, if not, what alternative information sources to use. In all instances, estimates of unit cost are essential for understanding the dynamics of the economic and systemic interdependencies of publishers, libraries, and readers.