Seventh Edition of the Directory of Electronic Journals, Newsletters and Academic Discussion Lists

The Directory is organized into two main sections: E-Journals and Newsletters, and Scholarly and Professional E-Conferences. The e-journals section is compiled and maintained by ARL, while the e-conferences entries come from Diane Kovacs of Kovacs Consulting. New with the 7th edition is a much expanded subject guide covering both sections; an index of keywords, publishers/distributors, and titles is also included. In addition, organization and layout of the journal entries have been enhanced for ease of use. For each entry, title, description, URL/subscription information, ISSN, costs, first issue date, frequency, and contact information is included. Each journal entry includes peer-review status and back issue availability; each list entry indicates whether it is moderated or not and if archives are available.

This year's Directory includes over 3,400 serial titles, twice as many as were included last year. Summary analysis of the entries in this year's Directory indicate that, out of 1,465 titles categorized as electronic journals, 1,002 are peer-reviewed and 708 charge in some manner for access. In the 1996 edition, 47 journals were peer-reviewed and 168 were only available on a fee basis. Increasingly, traditional print publishers are making their titles available electronically. These exist both as e-versions of their paper products and as new electronic products that supplement or replace the print journal. Scientific journals constitute the greatest number of entries in the journals section, with 29%. Fourteen percent of the journal titles are categorized as arts and humanities journals, while 28% are social science titles.

The online version of the Directory offers users the ability to browse through individual entries or to search for specific items. Search options include searching by title, description, publisher, peer review basis, or subject. Also included online is the thesaurus used to classify the entries, thereby allowing users to search by specific keywords. All web-accessible e-journals have a link from the Directory entry to the journal's actual site. The electronic version of the Directory is available as a stand-alone product, while purchasers of print copies automatically receive access to the e-version.

Each year, ARL chooses a particularly relevant or noteworthy article on electronic scholarly publishing for inclusion in the Directory: the 7th Edition article is Judy Luther's "Full Text Journal Subscriptions: An Evolutionary Process." Previously published in the June 1997 issue of Against the Grain, "Full Text Journal Subscriptions" reviews options offered to libraries by commercial publishers, subscription agents, and not-for-profit publishers. Luther addresses issues such as licensing packages and pricing structures, as well as various types of format.

The Association of Research Libraries is a not-for-profit membership organization comprising 121 libraries of North American research institutions. Its mission is to shape and influence forces affecting the future of research libraries in the process of scholarly communication. ARL programs and services promote equitable access to and effective use of recorded knowledge in support of teaching, research, scholarship, and community service. The Association articulates the concerns of research libraries and their institutions, forges coalitions, influences information policy development, and supports innovation and improvements in research library operations. ARL operates as a forum for the exchange of ideas and as an agent for collective action.

For more information about the Directory contact Dru Mogge, ARL Electronic Services Coordinator at dru@arl.org.

For information on how to order a copy contact Ken Rodriguez in the ARL Publications Office at pubs@arl.org.

Order online at: http://www.arl.org/pubscat/order/