Early electronic journals: A preservation survey

Abstract

In 1994, the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) published a print directory containing information on every electronic journal that could be identified, anywhere in the world. Thirty years later, this study surveys the current availability and preservation status of those 443 journals. While a significant number of these journals are no longer available, the results indicate that independent preservation efforts by individuals and small groups were a major factor in preserving many of the remaining publications. This study uses the preservation survey method to assess the preservation environment for these journals, and also to build an online directory of the journals to assist researchers in locating these often-overlooked innovators of electronic scholarly communication.