In this study, the authors examine attitudes of researchers toward open access (OA) scholarly journals. Using two-step cluster analysis to explore survey data from faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers at large North American research institutions, two different cluster types emerge: Those with a positive attitude toward OA and…

The viability of gold open access publishing models into the future will depend, in part, on the attitudes of authors toward open access (OA). In a survey of academics at four major research universities in North America, we examine academic authors' opinions and behaviors toward gold OA. The study allows us to see what academics know and perceive…

Reviews the database industry over the past year, including new companies and services, company closures, popular database formats, popular access methods, and changes in existing products and services. Lists 33 firms and their database services; 33 firms and their database products; and 61 company profiles. (LRW)

Discussion of the increasing price of journal subscriptions and the resulting impact on library budgets focuses on libraries in less developed countries. Describes international efforts between developed and developing nations to get scholarly research published, indexed and abstracted, converted to electronic form, and made accessible worldwide.…

Librarians must get the most for their money and look to technology for new solutions. Several respondents think poor budgets mean more reliance on online databases and electronic full texts with less purchase of print. Companies that produce both media are likely to continue as long as there is a market for both, but they are gearing up for the…

Suggests that digital resources and telecommunications give librarians the best chance in decades to reexamine and achieve many of their fundamental goals. Discusses the goals of providing the right information in appropriate formats, keeping the intellectual record, providing personalized information services, and serving as educators, and cites…

Discusses the impact of Internet access on library reference services based on 1994 interviews with almost two dozen university librarians. Highlights include library policy, overcrowded workstations and methods of controlling use, recreational use of terminals that interferes with more formal library use, restriction as a form of censorship, and…

Compares current and past results from two surveys done of Association of Research Libraries' members to determine how electronic reference services affect staff, patron expectations, and user instruction. Increases were found in: patron Internet access; end user online searching; local area networks; and tape-loading databases. Decreases were…

Discussion of electronic information access in libraries focuses on five areas that impact quality and cost: (1) hardware, including networking, graphics, and full-text capabilities; (2) software; (3) access and utilization, including Internet and instruction and training; (4) licensing, including suggestions for publishers as well as librarians;…

Describes the results of a study of academic libraries that was conducted to determine what influences users when choosing an online database to search. Highlights include quality content; intuitive interfaces; convenient access; recommendations from library instruction or instructors; and the availability of full text. (LRW)

Provides information to help special librarians make decisions concerning scientific electronic journals. Among the topics are trends in traditional scholarly publishing, including changing patterns in information seeking and journal price increases and their consequences; and the complex nature of electronic journals, including archiving, access,…