Reviews the so-called "library crisis" and literature on the determinants of journal prices. Discusses the impact of the recent merger activity among journal publishers and notes the possibility that electronic publications may slow down the increase in journal prices. Discusses the question of why substantial improvements in computer technology…

Describes various stages involved in the applications of electronic media to the publishing industry. Highlights include computer typesetting, or photocomposition; machine-readable databases; the distribution of publications in electronic form; computer conferencing and electronic mail; collaborative authorship; hypertext; hypermedia publications;…