The Current Policy

"Electronic Journals in the UB Catalog and on the Libraries' Web Site" was developed in 1996. Major aspects of the policy are as follows:

• "Electronic journal" means an online journal, periodical, newsletter, or other type of serial which is available through the Internet. Print titles which are available in a CD-ROM format are not considered to be electronic journals nor are full or partial text of digitized versions of articles from print journals which are made available by commercial firms as part of an indexing and abstracting service.
• It is the policy of the University Libraries to provide access to electronic journals through the University Libraries' homepage and through the UB Libraries Catalog. Access via the University Libraries' homepage may be only for the short-term or until electronic journals are more commonplace and accepted and the Libraries have a web-based public access catalog.

  Access through the University Libraries' website

  • The links to all electronic journals will be via the University Libraries' homepage, with unit library homepages linking to this central region and not directly to the journals. All electronic journals included on individual unit homepages must be accessible through the University Libraries' homepage.
  • A separate region in the Online Resources section of the Libraries' homepage will be maintained for electronic journals.
  • This section will consist of an alphabetical list of titles which will indicate the scope or completeness (full content, partial content, table of contents with abstracts, or table of contents only) of the electronic edition (a subject approach was added later).
  • An informational record will be linked to each electronic journal on the University Libraries' homepage.

    Each information record will consist of the following fields:

    • Title of the journal
    • Place of publication, publisher, and beginning date of publication
    • Refereed (this will appear only if the journal is refereed; there will be no indication that a title is not refereed)
    • Scope (electronic only, full content, partial content, table of contents with abstracts, or table of contents only)
    • Holdings (beginning volume, issue number, and date for electronic edition followed by plus (+) sign; ending volume, issue number, and date if the electronic edition has ceased).
    • Access: (an alert that identification numbers, passwords, etc., which follow are needed to access issues of the journal)
    • File Format (the format in which the data is provided)
    • Subjects (subject headings appropriate to the journal)
    • Frequency (publication frequency)
    • ISSN (International Standard Serial Number)
    • Notes (information about the content of the journal including, if necessary, further information about Scope)

  Access through the UB Libraries' Catalog
  • For all electronic journals for which access is to be provided through the University Libraries' website, there will also be access through the catalog.
  • Although currently that access can be only bibliographic, the linkage needed for direct access from the catalog record to the journal itself in a web-based successor to the present system or a web interface for the catalog will be included in the bibliographic records.
  • Include a 538 field in the bibliographic record.
    |a Mode of access: Internet. Host: [identify host]. Available at URL [provide URL] or through the Electronic Journals section of the Online Resources area of the University at Buffalo Libraries' Homepage.
  • Also include an 856 field containing the complete URL followed by |2 http (or |2 gopher).
  • Create a copy statement.
    2 or 3 U [pu],in |k see LONg;view NOTES;Mode of;access
  • Create an MHLD (MARC holdings and location record). If the electronic edition is ongoing, make an open-ended holdings statement ending with a plus sign (+). If the run of the electronic edition is finite, provide the inclusive holdings. Include a subfield z note (which displays in public mode) indicating the scope of the electronic edition.

• Access information in bibliographic record

• Copy holdings information

• Holdings information

• The current policy states that "access via the University Libraries' homepage may be only for the short-term or until electronic journals are more commonplace and accepted and the Libraries have a web-based public access catalog." Electronic journals are much more commonplace now than when the region was established in March 1996. A web interface for the catalog is scheduled for implementation in 1998.
• The web interface for the catalog will provide the capability of activating URLs in bibliographic records. The URLs which are now contained in the bibliographic records are the official URLs for the journals. A continuation of the practice of creating and maintaining information records will necessitate changing those URLs to ones for the corresponding information records.
• The bibliographic records also contain as access information reference to the e-journals region. In order to avoid mandatory changes to these records if and when names for the regions involved are changed, dropping that information may be appropriate.
• The creation of information records for electronic journals is time-consuming and delays the process of providing access to new titles. Notes on the purpose or content of the journals can duplicate the same information provided at the journal's official site. Any information of this type requires periodic review and possible revision.
• The Electronic Journals region was established as a centralized location for accessing electronic journals. Unit library homepages now link to this region, not directly to a journal. This is an appropriate time to reconfirm that practice or to eliminate it.
• As the web interface for the catalog is developed it is appropriate for additional options for linking from the catalog to electronic journals. In addition to a link from the MARC 856 field in the bibliographic record, consideration should be given to the feasibility of creating links from the copy holdings statement and the volume holdings record.
• This is also an appropriate time to consider providing access in a single listing to both electronic journals and titles available locally in full text.

The webwites for many university libraries do not include listings of electronic journals. A page with links to services such as JSTOR, Project Muse, and Ideal but not to individual titles is common. There are a large number of libraries which provide alphabetical and subject listings with no additional information about the titles provided. Adding an icon to those titles which are available only locally is not uncommon.

Numerous libraries make no effort to provide access to electronic journals from a single webpage. Providing access to only titles in the sciences from a science library page is the current practice of some libraries. At least two libraries provide instructions on how to retrieve electronic journals in their online catalogs. Rutgers provides the information in addition to listing the titles. The University of Virginia appears to provide the information in lieu of a list.

All libraries which were identified as currently providing information records are listed below. The list of those which do not create information records is selective.

Inasmuch as the approaches being taken with providing access to electronic journals is subject to rapid change, the information provided below may become out of date very quickly.

Libraries which create information records

• Harvard---Sample information record

• Northwestern---Example of information record.

• University of Toronto---The list of journal titles includes options of going directly to the journal or to a local information record. If access to the journal is restricted to members of the University of Toronto community, the options are the information record or a registration page. The record for Nacional (Mexico) provides no additional information. Compare this with the information in the record for Neuropharmacology.

• Los Alamos National Library---Information records are created by a nightly program which takes data from the bibliographic record. The user is given the option to go from the journal's URL in the bibliographic records, directly to the journal from a search of electronic journals, or via a linked information record.

• Cornell---There are special bibliographic records for each resoure in Networked Resources. These records, created in addition to the bibliographic records for the catalog, make each resource retrievable by one or more subject categories and by resource type and are the basis for information records.

• Caltech--- The list includes scope and coverage information.

• MIT---Note the link to a help area for accessing titles and for printing.

• Michigan State--- Electronic resources are presented alphabetically. Electronic journals are included as part of the section for each letter. Additional information is provided for some of the electronic journals.

• University of North Carolina---Information about the title is included as part of the list of titles.

• University of Delaware---In this list titles which are accessible only locally do not have active links.

• Princeton

• North Carolina State

• University of Minnesota---There is linked access information for some titles.

• New York University Coles Science Reference Cente---This and related lists include all journal titles held with links to those available electronically.

• McMaster---Table format includes publisher, access information, and coverage.

• Tulane---Limited information about individual titles included separate listings for journals, newsletters, and magazines.

• University of Georgia Science Library---An extensive list which includes call numbers for print holdings.

• Duke

Options

• Continue current practice
  • Change URLs in bibliographic records from the official URLs to the local URLs for the Electronic Journals region.
    

• Eliminate the use of information records except when needed to provide access information.
  • Discontinue the preparation of descriptions of the content and purpose of the journal.
  • For those titles for which an information record will be maintained, change URLs in bibliographic records from the official URL to the local URLs for the Electronic Journals region.
    
  • Expand upon information provided in the alphabetical and subject listings to include ISSN, starting date, scope (full content, etc.), file format, and subjects. Provide a link to records about specialized file formats.
    

• Eliminate the use of all information records
  • Discontinue the preparation of descriptions of the content and purpose of the journal.
  • Expand upon information provided in the alphabetical and subject listings to include ISSN, starting date, scope (full content, etc.), file format, and subjects. Provide a link to records about specialized file formats.
    

• Eliminate the use of information records and alphabetical and subjects listings and rely entirely on links from bibliographic records.
  

  
  

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  John Edens
  Last modified: June 3, 2005
  http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/cts/about/ejrev.html