Limited physical and financial resources and changing customer behaviors compelled the University of Arizona Science‐Engineering Library to pursue more flexible collection management options, such as removing print copies of journals as the library purchased the electronic backfiles. The purpose of this paper is to describe a process used at the library to compare electronic journals to their print counterparts.
The library's approach was to study the electronic content provided through Elsevier's ScienceDirect for completeness and quality of text and images. This was to ensure that the removal of print would minimally impact library customers while reclaiming building space that could be better utilized to meet changing customer needs.
The process uncovered the reality that the electronic backfiles were not always adequate substitutes for print copies. In response, it was necessary to open a dialogue with the publisher to share the library's findings that resulted in improved electronic backfiles.
This paper weighs the advantages and disadvantages of taking a transformational approach to collection management.
