This book is an edited collection of the papers presented at the 1996 North American Serials Interest Group (NASIG) Annual Conference, together with two preconference sessions. In line with common Haworth practice, this book contains material that has already been printed in serial form (in this case, as The Serials Librarian, Volume 30, Numbers 3/4 and Volume 31, Numbers 1/2, 1997). Libraries should therefore probably only bother purchasing this text if they do not subscribe to the journal.
Because the conference was held in June 1996, the papers reflect the state of the art as of late 1995. Delays to publication, often cited as one of the problems of the print journal literature, clearly affect conferences discussing these problems as well! Two years after the date of the conference, some of the papers have a somewhat dated feel, although fortunately many of the issues are still just as current (and contentious!).
The areas dealt with at the conference included: EDI and related standards, electronic serials cataloguing, collection development and management of Internet resources, issues in electronic licensing, copyright in the electronic environment and partnerships between various stakeholders. A number of the usual names have contributed to this volume. The electronic physics literature features as an example of what is possible with a plenary paper from the obligatory Paul Ginsparg. Stevan Harnad provides another plenary paper that summarizes much of his other writings on the transformation awaiting scholarly publishing. James Neal provides a useful overview of one of the most successful early projects, Project Muse. The rest of the papers are contributed largely by serials librarians who are grappling with the conference areas listed above. This provides a good grounding of the discussion in the day‐to‐day realities of library work.
The book is nicely bound and printed on acid‐free paper. The list of conference registrants is probably of little interest to many readers, but the well‐constructed index is a useful feature. It seems to me that this book serves two functions. First, it provides a (somewhat dated) snapshot of a particular moment in the ongoing debate over electronic serials. Second, it serves as a useful collection of papers for those in the library community who have to deal with electronic serials on a daily basis. It would be a suitable acquisition for the collection of any library school, as well as the personal library of those working in the serials area or academics interested in electronic journals
