Usage of e-journals at CBUC libraries : what we know and what we know we don’t know

Abstract(s)

Based on statistics of use of electronic journals licensed by the Consortium of University Libraries of Catalonia (CBUC) during the period 2000-2003, this article presents the evolution of journal use over time and the degree of dispersal as a framework for calculating and assessing the consortial gain, which is considered to be the percentage of use of titles not previously subscribed to in paper format that have been licensed thanks to the economies of scale of consortial purchasing. The aim of the CBUC study was to analyse the period of change from the paper to the digital format in the collections of the CBUC member libraries. During the period covered by the study, users maintained access in paper format to retrospective collections and some current subscriptions, and the comparison with previous collections on paper was made with an acceptable degree of chronological proximity.