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Electronic, traditional resources fight for funds

In any revolution, it's tough to know when to let go of the old and embrace the new.

Libraries are doing the equivalent of a one-arm hug of electronic sources - subscribing to some while maintaining a base of traditional subscriptions to paper magazines and journals.

"It's a very difficult decision," says Linda Katsouleas, director of library services for the Newport Beach Public Library. She says the decision is driven by demand - and given that people who live in Newport Beach tend to be fairly computer-savvy, the library has been leaning toward more electronic subscriptions and fewer traditional paper ones. In the case of newspapers and bulky journals, going electronic has advantages: Shelf-space needs are reduced, and more people can read an article at the same time.

Valerie Maginnis, director of library services for the Mission Viejo Library, estimates the cost of electronic subscriptions has fallen 10 percent to 15 percent in the past decade. For the current fiscal year ending June 30, the Mission Viejo Library will spend about a quarter of its $330,000 materials budget on electronic subscriptions.

University libraries have become huge users of electronic information. Cal State Fullerton's library now subscribes to 160 electronic databases.

A peek at the Coastline Community College library offers a glimpse of what some libraries of the future may become. The library there serves thousands of students, about 5,000 military personnel around the world and 2,000 prisoners. Half the college's student body telecommutes.

Librarian Cheryl Stewart deals with them electronically. "I'm the invisible librarian."

Her biggest challenge: Helping the students understand the "vast difference" in what they can find free on the Internet and the quality research they can get in a library - even an all-electronic one.

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