Chemistry libraries

C &EN's article on the future of chemistry libraries (Oct. 10, 2005, page 52) describes how paper holdings are increasingly relegated to compact and remote storage and are being replaced by access to digital databases. Many chemistry libraries have been consolidated into centralized facilities. Many canceled print subscriptions are not yet available online.

While contact with several librarians is mentioned in the article, C&EN does not discuss any interactions with faculty members of chemistry departments. From the article, it appears that these changes have been initiated by the librarians and that chemistry faculties have agreed or acquiesced to the changes. On the contrary, at least here at Ohio State University, consolidation of our much loved "musty" chemistry library met with widespread opposition on the part of faculty.

In the short run, online journals are cheaper to publish than paper journals. The publishers save on printing and distribution costs. Even much of the editing is done by the authors. It is wonderful to be able to read an article from anywhere with Internet access, provided you have a well-maintained PC and printer. If your library can afford the publisher's backfiles, you need never go there to read an article. The great advantage of the electronic databases is that specific items can be located rapidly compared with searching paper sources.

In its current state, digital information storage and dissemination is a pretty fragile technology. It is seriously jeopardized by power failures, careful hacking, and also just careless maintenance. Given general political and economic instability, it is unlikely that the technology will be maintained for centuries as is the case with paper. We already have labs full of countless tapes and disks that can no longer be read. Even with everything working, we are still hostage to predatory pricing policies, especially of the commercial publishers.

User privacy is another matter of concern. Electronic surveillance is a simple matter compared with monitoring the use of books. Furthermore, information on centralized databases is easily changed. Remember the "Soviet Encyclopedia"? The Nazis had to burn books to eliminate unacceptable material. Nowadays it can be done with a simple keystroke. Beware the siren song of the digital library.

There are some advantages to paper journals. Selling the volumes provides cash flow to the publisher. The publisher's responsibility for the information ends once the book is placed on a shelf. Books have survived 500 years of the violent history of Europe.

Hard copy can be browsed. Several volumes can be spread out over a table at the same time. In this general way one often serendipitously uncovers material far more useful and significant than what was originally sought. Compared with using electronic databases with their standardized software, a general search of the paper literature tends to be more focused because the user is navigating the search.

Obviously, the two technologies have their roles and both should be used together. One would hope that electronic data technology would become more robust, reliable, and secure. In addition, there have been wonderful improvements in book and paper technology.

It is interesting that several of the Indian Institutes of Technology provide access to journal archives. Clearly, they have their priorities straight; many U.S. universities do not.

Gideon Fraenkel
Columbus, Ohio