Criteria for Replacing Print Journals with Online Journal Resources: The Importance of Sustainable Access

Abstract

Long-term sustainability should be a primary concern of librarians deciding whether to replace print subscriptions with online journal resources. This article describes the six criteria used at St. Lawrence University to determine whether particular online resources can be regarded as acceptable substitutes for print. Three conventional criteria—completeness, timeliness, and reliability—are supplemented by three others that focus on the legal, economic, and organizational components of sustainable access. Together, these six criteria can be used to draw an important distinction between permanent subscriptions and supplementary resources. Although the replacement of print subscriptions with nonsustainable resources can sometimes reduce short-term costs, it also increases long-term risk by making sustainability of access contingent on sustainability of payments.