The primary reasons for the increase are that the activities associated with electronic journal acquisitions and maintenance are far more complex, and thereby more time-consuming, than those required for print journal collections. And, because of the complexity and use of technology, the staff required to manage e-journals demand higher salaries than staff devoted to the print journal collection. There are real and measurable savings in the print area, for example, in journal check-in, binding, claiming, repairing, shelving and statistics gathering. But these are routine tasks typically performed the lowest paid clerical staff and by student workers. Journal selection in the print environment is not simple but has many fewer dimensions than the electronic analog.
Most acquisitions involve contracts.
Some sources have very complex pricing plans. All this evaluation and weighing of alternatives must be done by senior professional staff who are relatively well-compensated. Considering only subscription costs, Drexel's current e-journal collection is far less costly than the print collection on a per title basis. Obviously, this is the result of the composition of the two specific collections that are not comparable and so is not generalizable. Yet the difference is so striking that it is worth mentioning.