Developing and Managing Electronic Journal Collections (review)

Developing and Managing Electronic Journal Collections,Donnelyn Curtis, Virginia M. Scheschy, and Adolfo R. Tarango. (How-To-Do-It Manuals for Librarians, 102) New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2000. 267 p. $55 (ISBN 1-55570-383-6)

Seldom does this reviewer find a book that he believes warrants the attention of broad segments of the library profession. Developing and Managing Electronic Journal Collections, however, is an exception and should prove to be a valuable handbook and guide for library administrators and librarians, as well as faculty teaching in library and information studies programs and their students. Written by librarians with extensive experience developing and managing electronic journal collections, the title under review exceeds the "how-we-did-it" parameters frequently found in journal literature. Rather, the authors treat the complex sets of issues pertaining to e-journal selection and management in broad, yet precise, universal terms, and in so doing they allow the content of their book to apply to e-journal collections in all libraries regardless of their budget, collection scope, or type. The authors, Curtis (Director of Research Services), Scheschy (Director of Technical Services), and Tarango (Serials Cataloger) were University of Nevada at Reno Libraries colleagues at the time of publication.

The authors divide e-journal issues into six categories: selection, technical issues, legal matters and licensing, ordering processes, user services, and cataloging/access. An introductory chapter outlines the current context in which libraries and journal publishers find themselves and describes, inter alia, benefits of e-journals, archiving issues, and access options. The authors conclude their work with a chapter on "Predictions for Electronic Journals," which includes a discussion of technical standards, alternatives to e-journals (preprint servers and other options designed to make research freely available), and advice on how to stay abreast of ongoing developments regarding e-publishing. Five appendices further enhance the value of this work: (1) a much needed glossary of terms and jargon (of particular value for its legal and technical entries), (2) sample e-journal policy statements, and guidance on how best and most efficiently (3) to compare journal coverage provided by two or more aggregators, and (4-5) to create and maintain lists of locally licensed e-journals using Excel spreadsheets and HTML coding. A bibliography at the end of each chapter and a detailed index add to the usefulness of this book.

The importance of this work, however, lies not solely in its coverage of pertinent topics but also in the authors' logical and systematic presentation of the issues and strategies they address. Everyone familiar with the selection and management of e-journals is aware that legal restrictions and technical requirements can present significant challenges. By writing in a clear and concise style, the authors avoid the obfuscation of issues that are by their vary nature difficult for many to understand easily. By defining terms and explaining issues in a clear manner and in a logical sequence, even the less informed reader rapidly builds the knowledge base necessary to benefit from the complexity of the issues the authors present. This does not mean that the title under review is an introduction to e-journal management. On the contrary, all readers will benefit from reading this book, regardless of their level of expertise, experience with e-journals, or whether they are in collection development, user services, technical services, systems, or administration.

The authors correctly concede an important point when they alert readers that traditional workflows and staffing patterns will not necessarily assure the successful implementation of e-journal collections. For example, they outline in detail the pros and cons of a wide range of e-journal selection assignments, ranging from the traditional subject specialist scenario, whether a bibliographer, reference librarian, or e-resource coordinator, to a designated group or team. Similarly in Chapter 6, the authors appropriately recommend that an interdepartmental or cross-functional team composed of representatives from collection development, serial/acquisitions, cataloging, user services...