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As a direct consequence of the digital revolution, academic libraries today face competition as information providers. Using Richard N. Foster's technology S curves as the analytical model, this article shows that academic libraries are in the midst of discontinuous change by questioning a number of assumptions that support the current practice of academic librarianship. The authors challenge these assumptions, and analyze the manner in which digital communications affect academic libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A collection manager and an acquisition librarian discuss difficult decisions to be made regarding electronic resources and associated value-added services. Balancing budget constraints with patron demands for easy access to information requires librarians to reevaluate assumptions about the electronic products and associated services that have quickly become staples of library life, even as these staples become increasingly untenable. The authors scrutinize the cost/benefit of continuing value-added services, such as providing access to abstracting and indexing tools and full MARC cataloging records of journal titles, as well as considering the adoption of new services such as federated search engines and link resolvers. Serials Review 2006; 32:99-102. © 2006 Published by Elsevier Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the likely implications of open access on library operations. The context of the examination takes place assuming that the traditional model of publication and open access coexist. Open access presents numerous challenges and opportunities, but entrepreneurial libraries will find new ways to serve their patrons in the new mixed open- access-traditional (MOA) environment. In order to do so, these libraries will need to redesign their organization and this can be expected to stretch both monetary and human resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes how data on periodical use statistics, collected since 1998, were gathered and stored at Hunter Library, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina. It considers the significance of the data and its use for collection development purposes. Since Hunter Library does not circulate periodicals, the data collection is based on reshelving statistics using INNOPAC (the shared integrated library catalog). The data gathered, such as subscription price, bibliographic information, and usage count, were moved into a Microsoft Access database and then used to create a wide range of reports. Over the period of the study (1998-2000) there was an overall decrease in the use of periodicals that accelerated in the course of the study, many titles were used intermittently, and a large number of titles had remarkably low usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]