Electronic access changes the way in which users find information. The resulting risk as to the quality or relevance of materials, although subtle, is real. Even though fulltext provides users with access to a wider range of materials, a growing dependence on what is easily available electronically may well become a disincentive to pursuing other sources of relevant data. These other sources, though not available electronically, may be more germane to a research topic and/or more scholarly in content. Moreover, the intangible benefits of browsing through journals in a library's current periodicals section are dampened considerably with the introduction of electronic journals. Although Information Access Company's PowerTrac mode allows searching by journal, the company does not currently offer a TOC service with Business Index or Business ASAP.
CONCLUSION
Ultimately, the decision to purchase a fulltext database is based on the willingness to analyze the present, to plan for the future, to take risks, and to create solutions. While this study examines business periodicals, the methodology provides a foundation for other librarians to analyze the cost-effectiveness of fulltext electronic resources relevant to their collections and conditions. Certain areas need further study:
• Does the cost of a journal imply quality? Arc the less expensive journals found in Business ASAP of sufficiently high quality and reputation for effective use by students and faculty? Do other fulltext periodical databases share this characteristic? While there are interesting studies on journal prices and values by Peterson.16 Zahray and Sirbu.17 and Lewis.18 none of these authors examined the impact of digitization.
• What are the savings derived from decreased shelf space, fewer interlibrary loan transactions, and less binding? Can a formula be derived to calculate these hidden savings and decreased labor costs?
• What are the costs of hardware and software? What about related expenses such as paper, security, printers, and so forth? In a 1989 study at Texas A&M University, Browning and Haas found that the per-copy costs for the fulltext Business Periodicals Ondisc CD-ROM product aver aged 22c*.14
Many calculations need to be made and many questions answered before deciding