The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the most recent literature concerning document supply and related matters.
The approach is based on the reading of over 150 journals as well as monographs, reports and web sites.
It was found that fundamental debate on the direction of scholarly publishing continues intensely. Electronic books remain a minority market but the literature at least remains optimistic. The mass digitisation of books continues apace and print on demand is becoming big business. Open access continues to grow but with continuing and widely differing views on its impact. Recent mandating decisions will mean a step change in the establishment of institutional and subject repositories. Publisher pay‐per‐view is starting to stir.
The paper represents a useful source of information for librarians and others interested in document supply and related matters.
