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FYI/From: ARL Publications <[log in to unmask]>

For further information please contact:
Patricia Brennan, Information Services Coordinator
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The Association of Research Libraries is pleased to announce the
availability of The Directory of Electronic Journals, Newsletters and
Academic Discussion Lists, 6th Edition, the standard hard copy reference
work for serials available via the Internet.  This new edition of the
Directory is a compilation of entries for over 3,000 academic and
professional discussion lists and 1,688 electronic journals, newsletters,
and newsletter-digests, representing a 257% increase in journals and a 26%
increase in lists since the 1995 Edition.  The Directory is a tool for
assisting individuals in locating Internet resources as well as assisting
librarians in building electronic collections.

Electronic publishing has gained unprecedented momentum since the Directory
was first published in 1991.  Summary analysis of the 6th Edition indicates
that the number of peer-reviewed titles are increasing.  The majority of
journals and newsletters continue to be available for free, although this
edition indicates a slight increase in fee-based titles over last year.  In
the 1996 Edition, 168, or 10% of the titles, are available on a fee basis
only.

The Directory is organized to assist the user in finding relevant
publications and discussion groups and connecting to them quickly, even if
he or she is not completely versed in the full range of user-access
systems.  A short description of each title in the Directory is included as
well as access information.  A URL is provided for over 90% of the journal
and newsletter titles.  Included also are ISSN, costs, first issues, peer
review, frequency, back issues, and submissions.  For the discussion lists
section, entries include moderator contact information, and indicate
whether the lists are edited and archived.  A combined index for the two
sections includes keyword, title, and institutional affiliation.

Diane Kovacs, Kovacs Consulting, and The Directory Team created again this
year the academic and professional discussion lists section, while Dru
Mogge and the ARL Directory staff compiled the journals and newsletters
section.  The introduction to the Directory is by Ann Okerson, Yale
University.

Each year, ARL chooses a particularly relevant or noteworthy article on
electronic scholarly publishing for inclusion in the Directory; the 6th
Edition article of the year is a paper by Steve Hitchcock, Leslie Carr, and
Wendy Hall of the Multimedia Research Group at the University of
Southampton.  "A survey of STM online journals 1990-95: the calm before the
storm" is a comprehensive review of online, full-text, peer reviewed,
English language journals in the areas of science, technology, and
medicine.  An evaluative description is available for each journal cited,
including features such as delivery mechanisms, presentation formats, and
charging practices.

The Association of Research Libraries is a not-for-profit membership
organization comprising 120 libraries of North American research
institutions.  Its mission is to shape and influence forces affecting the
future of research libraries in the process of scholarly communication.
ARL programs and services promote equitable access to and effective use of
recorded knowledge in support of teaching, research, scholarship, and
community service.  The Association articulates the concerns of research
libraries and their institutions, forges coalitions, influences information
policy development, and supports innovation and improvement in research
library operations.  ARL operates as a forum for the exchange of ideas and
as an agent for collective action.

ARL Directory of Electronic Journals, Newsletters and Academic Discussion
Lists.  6th ed.  Dru W.  Mogge, editor.  1996.  1,136 pp. ISSN 1057-1337.
US $79.00 ($55 ARL members).

Web Versions:
<http://arl.cni.org/scomm/edir/> - Journals and Newsletters
<http://www.n2h2.com/KOVACS> - Discussion Lists

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P.O. Box 115800, Gainesville, FL 32611-1580.  Phone: 352-392-0222; Email:
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