A large number of libraries and consortia have placed subscriptions with online reference services for collections of full-text electronic journals. The California State University (CSU) has pioneered a slightly different approach. The university system, with 21 campuses, identified 1,300 titles that it desired to acquire electronically. The list was based on print titles for which subscriptions were being purchased by 15 or more of the campuses. Although not all of the titles are available yet in electronic form, they will be added as they become available to EBSCO, the vendor selected by CSU.
EBSCO has drawn the titles it will supply to CSU from two of its services, EBSCOhost and EBSCO Online. The former is an online reference service that offers access to more than 60 proprietary and licensed third-party databases; the latter is a database of 3,000 full-text journals mounted by EBSCO.
More information about the procurement is available at the follow-ing CSU Website: www.co.calstate.edu/irt/seir/.
