The transition to an electronic journal collection: managing the organizational changes

Abstract

In 1998, the W.W. Hagerty Library of Drexel University made migration to an electronic journal collection as quickly as possible a key component of its strategic plan. With the year 2000 renewals, Drexel's journal collection consists of 953 print subscriptions and 4,951 electronic journals. A dramatic change in budget allocation and staff workload is the most immediate impact on library operations, but space, equipment, and even supply needs have been affected. Some of these changes were obvious and predictable; others, such as a sizeable increase in the need for skilled professional staff, were not. Almost no area of the library has been left untouched.