We have learned from print publication to work around problems and limitations in production and dissemination, but these problems do not pose as serious a threat to electronic publishing. We do not need to develop standards and techniques that accept today's limitations, but to build into our medium a flexibility that will anticipate and accommodate upcoming change. In the same way they do for print journals, libraries should provide that access. It makes sense for libraries to use computer resources to deliver publications which originate as electronic text, since computerized access brings with it powerful capabilities for searching, indexing, and analyzing texts even from remote sites. However, until most libraries have the facilities to present full text online and most readers have the skills to use such services, we feel that it is important for electronic publications to be available in several formats.
Electronic publications are likely to proliferate sooner than most now expect.
Although electronic text may never replace print, it is likely to dominate where information storage, retrieval, and manipulation are more important than the aesthetic qualities of a printed text. Today, we still produce limited numbers of books whose physical well-being must be guarded at regulated institutions around the world. We must have these objects shipped to us or travel to centers where they are collected. Compare this to a situation where a library would not house a given number of volumes, but would provide access to all books in an international network of libraries. In this scenario, all books would be available to anyone with a library card.