What assurance is there that the electronic backfile will continue to be available?
Online backfiles being considered for print archive are purchased through very reliable suppliers. Vendors like JSTOR are becoming specialised in archival activities and providing a worldwide centralised archiving service. The large publishing companies such as JSTOR and Elsevier are positioning themselves to provide very stable, ongoing access into the future. The digitisation of material will facilitate its availability and access into the future even if a vendor should change or a product change hands. Some discussion is starting in Australia about the need to provide a cooperative service owned by Australian libraries which would store owned electronic archives in Australia in the event of difficulties with the vendor.
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