Electronic Reference Works and Library Budgeting Dilemma

摘要

The number of electronic resources has climbed up steadily in recent times. Some of these e-resources are reference sources, mostly in Science, Technology and Medicine (STM), which publishers convert to electronic for obvious reasons. The library budgets for materials usually have two main lines, budget for one time purchase (monographs) and budget for ongoing subscriptions (serials). It therefore becomes an issue when pricing model is not stable and this balance cannot be maintained. In understanding the importance of reference sources, this article examines the following: origin of reference service, information-seeking behavior of scientists and engineers, print versus online and user preference and expectations, nature accessibility and use of science reference texts, budgeting for and acquisitions of electronic science reference works. Do we have to adjust the budgets to accommodate the new trend or should publishers work within the framework of the library budgets? Some science librarians were interviewed and their responses were analyzed. Results revealed that: first, this is a common problem; second, most libraries still choose electronic over print irrespective; third, each institution deals with the problem on a case by case basis; fourth, most librariesrnhave no permanent solutions yet.