A two-year project to improve the quality of a major bibliographic database resulted in corrections to 2.1 million data fields and removal of 8.2 percent of the records. Queries now retrieve 20 percent more hits than the same queries did before this project began, despite removal of duplicate records. The literature of duplicate removal is discussed, with emphasis on the trade-offs between human and computer methods. Scholars are exchanging information on a daily basis via computer conferences, personal e-mail, and file transfers. Electronic serials are being distributed on networks, often at no charge to the subscriber.
Electronic newsletters provide timely information about current topics of interest.
Electronic journals, which are often refereed, provide scholarly articles, columns, and reviews. Utilizing computer networks, scholars have become electronic publishers, creating an alternative publication system. Electronic serials hold great promise, but a variety of problems currently limit their effectiveness. Given the serials pricing crisis, librarians should encourage the development of network-based electronic serials.