Bridging the gap between print and electronic resources at a multi‐campus university library
| Published date | 16 August 2011 |
| Pages | 315-333 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/03055721111171591 |
| Date | 16 August 2011 |
| Author | Sharon Premchand‐Mohammed |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management |
Bridging the gap between print
and electronic resources at a
multi-campus university library
Sharon Premchand-Mohammed
The Alma Jordan Library, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine,
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the challenges and examine the impact of the
transition from print to electronic resources at a medium-sized academic library at a multi-campus
Caribbean university, The University of the West Indies (UWI), with particular reference to the
St Augustine campus.
Design/methodology/approach – Through a review of the literature on the shift from print to
electronic resources, the paper uses the experiences of The UWI St Augustine to provide a model that
can be used by other libraries.
Findings – Libraries have successfully built a “hybrid” collection of print and electronic resources
despite challenges with information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure, balancing
costs, licencing model and strategies for selection, acquisition and management of electronic resources.
There are some key steps which libraries can follow when transitioning from print to electronic
resources.
Research limitations/implications – The paper focuses on the experiences and lessons learnt in
moving a collection from print to a hybrid of print and electronic resources. However, this by no means
encapsulates all the issues associated with any such undertaking.
Practical implications – Thepaper provides some key steps that a library can take in transitioning
its collection from print to a print-electronic hybrid.
Originality/value – Although the literature speaks to different aspects of implementing electronic
resources, this paper provides a roadmap for similar libraries with the lessons learnt and simple steps
that a library should take when considering to move its collection from print to some level of electronic
resources.
Keywords Electronicresources,Licensing, Hybrid collections,Academic libraries,Developing countries,
West Indies
Paper type Case study
Introduction
The University of the West Indies (UWI) is a regional university located in the
Caribbean and serves sixteen separate states in the Commonwealth (English-speaking)
Caribbean. Three campuses, Cave Hill, Mona and St Augustine locate d on the islands
of Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago respectively. There is also the new
Open Campus which serves the whole region through distance education. In the
discourse of this paper, there will be reference to both the UWI as the regional entity as
well as the Main Library at the St Augustine Campus. Although the libraries are
mostly autonomous in their operations, they are governed by a University Librarian
who fosters collaboration among them in various areas including the thrust to procure
electronic resources as a “single” university. The UWI St Augustine Campus Libraries
include the Main Library (ML), Medical Sciences Library (MSL), School of Education
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
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Bridging the gap
at a university
library
315
VINE: The journal of information and
knowledge management systems
Vol. 41 No. 3, 2011
pp. 315-333
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0305-5728
DOI 10.1108/03055721111171591
Library (SOE), Institute of International Relations (IIR) Library and the Seismic
Research Unit (SRU) Library. The Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business
Library (GSB) is an affiliated library.
Why move from print to electronic at UWI?
The advent of the electronic format has forced fundamental changes in the operations
of academic libraries’ traditional print-based environment. In recent times, libraries
have successfully built a “hybrid” collection of print and electronic resources despite
challenges with ICT, licencing and economics. In 2001, the Main Library of The
University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine took major steps in transitioning its
collection from print to electronic resources through the implementation of a new
information and communication technologies (ICT) framework and aggressive
negotiation strategies with vendors. Presently, the Main Library’s electronic resources
collection is growing exponentially with a resource base of approximately 70,000 titles
comprising databases, electronic journals, electronic books and electronic reference
sources.
At UWI, the information consumer demands ease of access bundled with a high
level of currency, relevance and coverage. Other needs include – ease of access through
a single point, remote access, ability to search across multiple electronic resources and
increased full text availability in one click. In order to meet these needs, the St
Augustine Main Library took a decision to move from print to electronic. In the cases
where a high percentage of users required access to a particular print resource, an
assessment was carried out to determine if the resource was available and
economically affordable. Further to this, The UWI Libraries have implemented a new
integrated library system, Aleph 500, an OpenURL link resolver, SFX and a federated
search engine, MetaLib that will further enhance the Libraries’ ability to deliver
resources in electronic formats. The UWI will also be introducing a single umbrella
platform with the implementation of Primo which would allow users to discover and
deliver electronic resources from one interface. Users will be equipped with a
mechanism to search a wide range of electronic resources from multiple sources and in
multiple formats with full text delivered to the desktop anywhere and anytime.
Keeping the information at a high level of currency requires the arrival of the
printed material soon after the publisher makes it available. This poses many
challenges in the Caribbean. A print journal which has been ordered from a vendor
outside the Caribbean region can take up to four months to arrive. On arrival, clearing
and delivery can take days and even weeks due to lengthy customs processing. These
delays associated with land-bound delivery of printed resources makes the access to
electronic resources via the Internet a far better option for obtaining information
required for research and teaching at The UWI. The move to electronic resources has
provided the Main Library with immediate access to full text as opposed to a long lead
time in accessing the printed material. Another factor that supports the move to
electronic resources is the high cost associated with purchasing printed materials from
outside the Caribbean due to the high rate of currency exchange and high shipping
costs.
One of the major benefits gained from moving from print to electronic is the ability
to provide remote access and increased access to individual titles. The information
consumer wants remote access to information – anywhere and anytime. The
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