Analyzes the current serials acquisitions crisis in research libraries caused by price increases and suggests electronic communication as a possible solution. Concerns of academic administrators, commercial publishers, scholarly publishers, and research librarians are addressed; changes in the scholarly communication process are discussed; and…

Discusses electronic information technology and possible effects on research libraries' transition from print-based collections to new configurations. Topics discussed include the effects of printing on the growth and spread of information; limits to dissemination and access; electronic mail (E-mail); and new methods for scholarly publishing and…

Urges the research library community, in which ownership is traded for access and competition for cooperation, to take concerted action to survive declining resources and the impact of electronic information technology. Concrete steps that can be taken toward contributing to a new world of scholarly communication are suggested. (Contains 12…