The Association of Research Libraries (ARL), US, has published a report which examines the issues associated with the migration from dual-format publishing to electronic-only publication of journals.
The report, 'The E-only Tipping Point for Journals: What's Ahead in the Print-to-Electronic Transition Zone,' by Richard K. Johnson and Judy Luther, provides a synthetic analysis of librarian and publisher perspectives on the current state of format migration, considering the drivers toward electronic-only publishing and barriers that are slowing change. The authors provide an assessment of likely change in the near term and recommend strategic areas of focus for further work to enable change.
The report is based on interviews conducted between June and August 2007 with two dozen academic librarians and journal publishers. Publishers and librarians were consulted equally in recognition that these changes pose significant issues of coordination. Interviews were conducted with collection officers and others at ARL member libraries and publishing staff of societies and university presses, publishing platform hosts, and publishing production consultants.
By commissioning this work and disseminating its findings, ARL seeks to better comprehend varying perspectives and to enhance broader, deeper understanding of the challenges and decisions faced by publishers and libraries as they navigate the transition that is underway. The report is intended to be of value well beyond the library community, serving publishers and others active in leading these transitions. It is available for free download from the ARL website at http://www.arl.org/bm~doc/Electronic_Transition.pdf.
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