Cancer Research UK LibraryThe e-journals experienceApril 28th 2010

The history of e-journals at CR-UK

Pre-2006, a mix of electronic and print journals

2006 – move to 100% e-journals only- Already had e-journals, able to see the benefit- New institute opening at Cambridge, no on-site library- Demand from users- Print copies still subscribed to, by other organisational

departments- Print copies still administered by library staff (invoicing,

checking in, tagging, ordering new titles, renewing old titles)

Current e-journals at CR-UK

•140 titles, all available online•Supplementary print collection (not library ‘owned’)•Mainly science titles, some medical and research•All accessible through intranet/library pages but...

• IP authentication allows access via other routes (Google...)

•Off-site access available using proxy server• Useful for home workers, conference attendees etc

• Not accepted by all publishers

• Possibility of more detailed picture of users

E-journals – advantages for CR-UK

No passwords needed for e-subs No Athens-type authentication needed Off-site access is available for all CR-UK staff

- Network/intranet access carefully guarded/maintained Available to all users at the same time - no limit on

concurrent users Allows links within PubMed and Web of Science Download statistics show how many people use the journal ILL supply is much faster No need to set aside physical storage space for growth Help decide on titles at renewals time

E-journals – disadvantages for CR-UK

Very expensive !- Affects the number and type of journals we buy overall

Requires upkeep - checking links, solving technical glitches No guarantee of perpetual access to paid-for content Other subscriptions within organisation can cause clashes

due to IP authentication Not all titles are available electronically… …users expect ALL articles to be available online ...users expect ALL publisher titles to be available Paid-for print does NOT equal electronic archive

E-journals - learning points (1)

Does not require storage or growing space- but older print issues need to be kept

- so will the library shrink in size ?

- especially when used in conjunction with UKPMC

Is of particular value to those libraries where users are spread across a wide geographical area- Membership organisations, multi-site workplaces

- What about access to archival print issues ?

E-journals - learning points (2)

List of users : locations, number etc- Show publisher/subscription agent you know who is using the

service

- Will be needed to set price tier Access – IP range, authentication service, passwords ?

- CR-UK only uses IP range, but network is limited to staff

- Different passwords for different titles = frustration ! How do users get the passwords ?

- Will publishers accept authentication service ?

E-journals - learning points (3)

Value of a closed network- User must be authenticated by organisation’s IT systems

- Shows publisher the system is closed/secure

- May not work with very large membership organisations

- Controls, to large extent, who can access the content IT support staff need to be involved from outset

- Is the system ready for increased usage ?

- Have IT staff dealt with electronic resources before ?

- Will you need a proxy server for off-site usage ?

- Responsibility for access problems ?

E-journals - learning points (3)

Usage statistics – when to DIY- CR-UK downloads statistics monthly, working out cost per

download using Excel

- Some commercial services (e.g. Swets) may do this for you

- Improves decision-making process Value of links in databases such as PubMed

- Reminding users of library and services

- Saving users time in accessing articles

- Can be used for print journals too

- Other databases offer this service (Web of Knowledge)

E-journals - learning points (3)

Perpetual access is not guaranteed – have a back-up !-Subscribing to print copies does not guarantee e-access to this content when you make the switch-Some publishers will cut off access to content you’ve paid for if you no longer subscribe-The same publishers will then charge you a further access fee to this content fee – payable annually...-Journals change publishers and content doesn’t always get transferred across with old subscriber information-Archives are available, at a price. Do you want to pay for older content at the expense of new additions to stock ?-ILLs ? How often will you need these ?