A Method Out of the Madness

The current practices of journal acquisition are grounded in the legacy of a print-bound world in which each library is an island of access for its own patrons. With electronic desktop delivery to information, increased ease of access allows far greater information use than previously possible. The extent of this additional use is still an open question, but based upon the OhioLINK experience thus far, it appears that improved ease of access has demonstrated the high elasticity in information usage. Libraries and consortia must seek to enable this desirable outcome by adopting purchase models that provide for expanded journal access. The first twenty-six months of operation of the OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center (EJC) is an exemplary illustration of the dramatic benefits of expanded access. Patrons have executed over 1.2 million article downloads. On average each Ohio university uses 3.5 times more titles than they previously held in print, and 51% of downloaded articles were not available in print on each campus. Small and two-year colleges are also beneficiaries through first-time access to scholarly journals. As the evolution to broad scale electronic access continues, libraries and consortia must take advantage of the opportunities illustrated by the EJC that fashion a sustainable economic model of information purchase that maximizes information use.