B. Deciding between Print and Electronic Resources

• Author: Ted Tjaden
• Profession: National Director of Knowledge Management McMillan LLP
• Pages: 288-290

Page 288

Over the last decade or so, law libraries have faced the dilemma of deciding whether to acquire material in print versus material in electronic format (or both). In many cases, law libraries acquire both print and online resources, in part to cater to patrons who prefer one format over another and in part to experiment with the online version of a product. In some cases, material may only be available in one format and no decision between formats is required.

There are several advantages to acquiring material in print that are often regarded as disadvantages in an online environment:

· Permanency: Print materials can be stored or archived, thereby protecting the investment made in the books and ensuring long term accessibility. Online materials, however, tend to be more volatile, especially on the Internet, where addresses often change and sites get shut down.

· Ownership: Print materials are generally bought and owned by the purchaser, unlike many online materials which are merely licensed for access, thereby making the licensee subject to the pricing whims or viability of the publisher. If the user stops paying for licensing a CD-ROM, for example, the user usually loses access to the information, unlike print resources which would remain available on the shelf if the print subscription is cancelled.

· Comfort level: People generally prefer to read from books rather than computer screens; there is a comfort level in using print materials, whether it be in the ability to quickly flip through pages or read from page to page. In addition, most lawyers prefer the comfort of citing materials to specific pages in a book, something that is often more difficult in an online environment.

· Wide availability: For the foreseeable future, most law-related materials will continue to be available in print, especially books and other specialized monographs that are less likely to be available in electronic format.

Page 289

Despite these advantages of print materials, there are also some fairly obvious disadvantages to law-related print materials that tend to be regarded as advantages in an online environment:

· Storage and maintenance costs: Print materials require space to be shelved; many law-related print publications, such as case reporters, grow larger every year. Looseleaf legal publications require staff to file the looseleaf pages on an ongoing basis. Online materials, on the other hand, tend to take up much less space, can be read...