What do we do now?

I've been thinking for almost a week about how collection developers can fix the serials crisis. It hasn't been easy- it's almost like trying to find a solution to the current economic mess. After last Thursday's class, I think that one solution might be for libraries to develop "hybrid" collections of both print and electronic materials. Electronic journals have several attractions, such as saving libraries space and money. After all, the Big Deal has proven uneven in its effectiveness. Since class began in January, I have thought that libraries should provide a mixed collection of print and electronic resources.

I still believe that open access (OA) journals could be another solution to the serials problem. In the Report of the Task Force on University Libraries (Harvard, 2009), the paper recommends provides access to, not only acquisition of, library materials through OA. Last week we read in Carlson and Pope's article that if a library can't afford to subscribe to all the journals it needs, OA could be a viable alternative to the Big Deal bundling.

I think that the blurry direction libraries face in the future compounds the serials crisis. For too long we have thought of libraries having physical collections ("own, don't lease") with physical journals. However, in this digital age, the focus has shifted from ownership to access of information. Today's lines are not clearly as drawn as they were in the past as scholarship in research libraries becomes more interdisciplinary. I think that librarians must face this paradigm shift and work together to solve the serials crisis.

TS