What is it about?

Saudi academic libraries (SALs) have been moving towards using electronic resources since 1992. This study aims to investigate the changes in electronic journal (EJ) (bibliographic and full-text databases) and printed journal (PJ) collection and acquisition in terms of number of titles, type of provisions and acquisition budgets and costs, between the years 1995 and 2000. The survey method was used to obtain the data. The instruments used in this study were questionnaires that were distributed to six academic libraries in Saudi Arabia. The percentages were used to show the differences between the increase and the decrease of EJ and PJ collections and budgets. The most important findings show that the percentage of EJ collections sharply increased in 1996 by 98 percent, which corresponds to a high increase in their budget of 125 percent.

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Why is it important?

Effective planning for future academic libraries requires library managers to balance the complex situation between being able to afford user’s preferences for electronic journals and the shrinking budgets for academic libraries. Within the past two decades, the cost of new information technologies, and shrinking library budgets have had a combined effect on academic libraries failing to fulfill their mission as information providers. Moreover, prices of serials and periodicals have increased rapidly while the information explosion has produced more materials than any library can afford to purchase. At the same time, Online and CD-ROM products have placed new funding burdens on libraries. Saudi Academic Libraries (SALs) have moved towards a shift from print format to electronic format. This study aims to determine the growth of e-journal acquisitions in comparison to print journals in six SALs between 1995 and 2000.

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Sawsan Taha H. Dulayami (Information Science Department, King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.)

Professor Sawsan Taha Dulaymi
king Abdul Aziz University

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This page is a summary of: The growth of electronic journals in academic libraries in Saudi Arabia, Library Management, May 2004, Emerald,
DOI: 10.1108/01435120410533774.
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