This article examines usage of print and ebooks at the State University of New York at New Paltz over 1 year. The goal is to identify book format preferences based on discipline. The data were studied using a two-step methodology: first, nominal analysis differentiated between use and nonuse; second, the percentage of expected use was calculated. This latter approach compares usage of books in each subject area to average usage across the collection, identifying disciplines where one format is used more frequently than anticipated. Findings indicate that ebook usage is higher in most schools, except for the Science and Engineering disciplines, in which readers had a slight preference for print. The authors propose that these insights could assist libraries in developing collection assessment strategies.
Digital primary source materials represent a growing asset class challenging academic libraries' budgets. This article studies citations and usage of the historical New York Times over the period 1984-2023 at Michigan State University. The time period brackets the acquisition of the full text backfile, with 20 years on each side of the acquisition. Citations increased markedly post-acquisition over the paper-index-to-microfilm era. Citations are consistently higher among theses and dissertations compared to scholarly journal articles. About two thirds of citations are from authors in Social Science disciplines. While general usage is decreasing, citation rates match the general rate of increase of university scholarly output. The article also explores ideas of cost-per-use and the value of differing kinds of collection usage.
The main purpose of the study was to analyze various aspects of open-access journals in the field of chemistry listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). The DOAJ is a platform that provides access to open-access journals that have undergone quality control processes. It serves as a comprehensive directory cataloging open-access scientific and scholarly journals across various subject categories. A survey methodology is well suited to investigating the evolution and current state of open-access journals in chemistry, following a comprehensive analysis. The study identified 315 open-access chemistry journals listed in the DOAJ, published in 16 languages by 101 publishers across 48 countries globally. General Chemistry (175) has the highest number of journals in the subdomain, followed by Organic & Bio-Chemistry (85). English is the predominant language of publication, with 295 journals exclusively using it. Switzerland ranks first with 51 publications in the DOAJ of Chemistry, followed by the United Kingdom with 46 journals. Most journals impose manuscript processing fees, while nearly one-third do not levy any charges. Moreover, nearly all journals use the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY) to ensure comprehensive copyright freedom. This analysis revealed that 2021 is significant due to the addition of 47 journals to the DOAJ. The open-access initiative has progressed markedly in recent decades, improving the accessibility of scientific research and intellectual discourse. Collaboration between academics and R&D organizations in the digital landscape is essential for the future success and growth of open-access publications.
Assigning library e-books as course textbooks can help to alleviate the financial burden of college for many students. Accordingly, libraries include e-books in their collection development policies and strive to educate users on the availability of these texts via the use of library research guides. Previous studies discuss library collection strategies and intentions to use e-books as textbooks, but do not discuss continuous or permanent plans. This study examined library policies at Hispanic Service Institutions (HSI's) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU's) to evaluate how these libraries approach and document their acquisitions of library e-books. Research guides at the same institutions were reviewed for instances of educating students and instructors on using library e-books as textbooks. Findings reinforce that libraries are actively purchasing and subscribing to e-books for course use because of advantages such as multi-user access, accessibility, and potential for high usage. Further, some libraries are documenting their acquisitions approaches and certain drawbacks like limited licenses and maintaining funding. Results also emphasize the importance of educating instructors and students regarding access limits, seeking assistance from librarians, and instructional support. This research highlights the active roles libraries play in acquiring e-books and educating students and instructors on best practices for effective use.
