By : Mila M. Ramos, Chief Librarian

1. Developing an Online Journal Collection: Prospects and Problems at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Library By: Mila M. Ramos, Chief Librarian and Natalia V. Delos Reyes, Librarian – Electronic Resources and Serials International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Paper presented at the 13th CONSAL EDSA Shangri-la Hotel, Mandaluyong City, Philippines March 29, 2006

2. OVERVIEW • The IRRI Library & Documentation Service • Nature of Electronic Journals • Selection & Acquisition • Access Points to Electronic Journals at IRRI • Dilemmas and Challenges in Building an E-Journal Collection • Facing the Challenge : Some Possible Solutions • Conclusion

3. The IRRI Library & Documentation Service • Established in 1961 • Mandate: To collect, organize, and link scientists worldwide to technical rice literature • World’s biggest repository of published and unpublished technical rice literature • 200k volumes of monographs and reprints • 3,000+ journal titles

4. The IRRI Library (cont.) • Automated online catalog and rice database • Fully wired & wireless network • 8 public access desktop computers • Walk-in clients - Mainly IRRI scientists, plus students, faculty, researchers from other institutions in the Philippines • Remote clients: Rice researchers, scientists, students from all over the world.

5. Nature of Electronic Journals • Definition: E-journals are “serial publications available in digital format” (Harrassowitz, 2005) • Format: CD-ROM, floppy disks (although very uncommon), external hard disks (e.g. LanTEEAL), or online via the World Wide Web • text may be in ASCII, HTML or PDF • may or may not be peer-reviewed

6. Advantages of E-Journals • can be read on one’s desktop • many concurrent users • words in the text can be searched • carry multimedia clips and graphics in color • comes out earlier than print editions • can be interactive; contacts with authors and peers can be facilitated • links to full text articles can be created on the online catalog

7. More Advantages • Links to related publications can also be brought to the attention of users. • Articles can be retrieved through links from abstracting or indexing databases. • contents can easily be saved or downloaded in print or other formats, or forwarded to colleagues. • They are space savers. • Filing is totally eliminated. • Usage statistics can be generated easily

8. Disadvantages of E-Journals • need special equipment (PC ) for reading and a good internet connection for fast access. • very expensive. • license agreements are complicated and vary from publisher to publisher. • no guarantee that access to archival copies will be there forever, which is assured when one acquires print copies.

9. More Disadvantages • not portable • hyperlinks are sometimes not working • in case of power outages, access will not work

10. Selection and Acquisition • Governing principle: Digital resources are there to supplement print materials and will not replace them. • Selection Criteria: Relevance to rice research, number of potential users, cost • Modes of Acquisition: 1. Free full text journals on the WWW 2. Free with print subscription 3. Print subscription plus paid licenses for online version 4. Online subscription only

11. Access Points to Electronic Journals at IRRI Library’s web site at http://ricelib.irri.cgiar.org

12. Access points… (cont.) 1.The Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC)

13. Access points… (cont.) 2. The E-Journals Link

14. Dilemmas and Challenges in Building an E-Journal Collection • Costs and sustainability • Vanishing E-links • Institutional Readiness: IT Infrastructure and Computer Literacy of Staff • Complex License Agreements • Access to Archival Copies • To Download or Just to Link

15. Average 2005 Journal Prices for Scientific Disciplines Relevant to IRRI

16. Facing the Challenge : Some Possible Solutions • Look for possible funding sources and discounts • Share costs with other units within the organization • Search for free sources (e.g. DOAJ, PubMed Central, Highwire Press, HINARI, AGORA, etc.) • Join a consortium or 2 • Forge collaboration with advanced local and foreign Librarians

17. Facing the Challenge : Some Possible Solutions (cont.) • Enhance current awareness among clients • Compile usage statistics • Work hard to gain Management Support • Purchase digital archival copies when available

18. Conclusion • Careful prioritization of titles for subscription will maximize meager resources available • Open access publishing offers a ray of hope • Vital ingredients in Managing a Successful Online Journal Collection: 1. Enhanced skills and work attitude among information providers to help them cope with the challenges posed by electronic journals 2. IT infrastructure must be in place 3. Adequate finances is vital for sustainability 4. Management support (a determinant of the Library’s budget) 5. Quality of service and Image of librarians (must be at such levels that will warrant management support) 6. Archival access

19. End of our Presentation Thank you and Good day!