Library literature from the late 19th century to the present offers numerous guides to materials selection. Yet, collection development policies and lists of selection criteria are inadequate for humanities electronic texts. Libraries, humanities disciplines, and electronic texts are too complex for any rigid approach to acquisition. To meet goals…

Over the past 20 years, academic collection development specialists have dealt with changes, brought about by decreasing purchasing power and the growing importance of electronic resources. Throughout, collection managers have rethought their efforts and revised criteria for selection of materials in new formats while maintaining traditional…

Discussion of electronic texts in the humanities highlights the major electronic editions of Shakespeare's work. Published versus unpublished texts are explained; other electronic texts currently available in English and American literature are described; and the effect of electronic texts on libraries is discussed. (17 references) (LRW)

The four basic criteria for the selection of library materials--quality, library relevancy, aesthetic and technical aspects, and cost--remain the same in the electronic era of information. What they mean and how they are used has changed. But even quality and cost, the two most controversial criteria, carry great importance for the responsible…

Discusses the impact that network technology, electronic publishing, and Internet communication are having on collection development policies in research libraries. Highlights include changes in the research library environment, including financial difficulties; scholarly communication; workstations for material selection; and materials in…

Addresses issues of electronic publishing from an archival perspective, including authentication, mutability, reformatting, preservation, editorial and administrative policies, costs, the role of librarians and archivists, technical procedures, access and the rights of privacy and freedom of information, and standards. (AEF)

Availability in electronic format of scholarly and scientific literatures and other forms of information has altered challenges faced by library collection managers. Drawing on ideas of the multi-library consortia, which have grown up partly in response to the advent of electronic resources, librarians have devised new criteria and means of…

Addresses the need for further research into three important areas of electronic publishing: how the change to digital information sources is affecting the scholarly work of college and university students; when libraries select electronic journals, how products offered to them or the delivery models they choose influence scholarship and the way…

Discussion of the growth of electronic texts in the humanities focuses on issues that libraries should consider regarding collection development policies for electronic texts. Existing texts and applications are described; markup, or encoding schemes, are explained; cataloging is discussed; and software issues are considered. (Contains 27…

Presents the results of a survey of university library directors and other academic administrators to determine attitudes toward networked electronic publishing of research articles; concludes that academic administrators do not consider the academic community well equipped for electronic publishing and would not give it high priority in the…

Discusses the impact of computerization on humanists and libraries. Highlights include a lack of relevant databases; a reliance on original text; vocabulary and language issues; lack of time pressure; research style; attitudes of humanists toward technology; trends in electronic publishing; hypertext; collection development; electronic mail;…

Discusses the use of electronic journals for scholarly communication within the humanities. Twelve electronic journals that are currently available are described; and issues they raise for libraries are examined, including the nature of the medium, the impact on content, the impact on audience, library access, and archival responsibilities. (LRW)

Surveys resource sharing among libraries in the cycle of scholarly communication. Highlights include emergence of digital technologies; coherence within disciplines; collection development and innovative solutions; digital works for world knowledge; National Periodicals Center; subscription cancellations; electronic documents; new research areas;…

Discussion of electronic resources in the humanities focuses on their incorporation into library collection development practices. Topics addressed include computer-aided research and scholarly communication; differences among humanist scholars in their acceptance of electronic resources; electronic texts and electronic publishing; standards,…

Examines changes in the nature of historical work and discusses the relationships between library, historian, and computer technology. Topics addressed include electronic publishing; electronic mail; electronic journals; electronic books and libraries; workstations for scholars; hypertext; current and future applications in history; and history…