Stephanie Walker: Purchase of Journal Portfolios by Research Libraries is not Cost-Effective and May Lead to Normalization of Collections. in: Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, Vol 4, No 1 (2009)
The author concludes that the premium paid to access over three-quarters of the journals available in portfolios should be reconsidered, as they are relatively infrequently used and thus may not be meeting faculty research needs. The author recommends that large research libraries (including OSU Libraries) consider a return to à la carte purchasing. Additionally, the author notes that purchase of portfolios by a large percentage of research libraries may lead to normalization of library collections and loss of the ability to support non-commercial publishers who publish strong research in specialized fields.