Abstract Electronic publishing presents the most fundamental challenges to the practices and values of librarianship. The United States is perhaps the best case study to highlight and review the issues raised by electronic publishing in libraries. It is the country which has invested both broadly and deeply in electronic resources, both generally and in libraries. In short, libraries and electronic publishing are seen to have the same future in the United States. In this environment, problematic issues are not generally raised or actively discussed by library professionals.
Libraries traditionally collect and preserve the scholarly and documentary record of publishing.
Electronically-published materials require a new approach to preservation, access, and security. Price and fee structures of electronically-published works are different for libraries. Electronically-published texts are intellectually different than printed resources, and those differences critically affect how people approach and value knowledge and information, how libraries organize it, and how it is packaged and promoted. The paper concludes with recommendations for librarianship in approaching these resources. This is a Refereed Article published on 31 October 1997.