The development of electronic journals in the
United Arab Emirates University (UAEU)
Ali Dualeh Abdulla
Libraries Deanship, UAE University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
Abstract
Purpose – This case study seeks to reflect upon the short history and rapid development of electronic journals (e-journals) at the United Arab Emirates
University (UAEU). It describes the scope of the journal migration project and its impact on library operations. UAEU (with over 16,000 students) is the
flagship university in the UAE, and much farther along in the transition to electronic-only access to journal literature than most libraries in the Arab
world.
Design/methodology/approach – The article begins with background information on UAE and its academic institutions, then discusses the
development of e-journals at UAEU starting with the rationale and decision to cancel print journals and move to an all-e-journal collection.
Findings – The author shows that e-journals have added enormous resources to the collection, improved service, enhanced access to journal literature,
increased its usage, and decreased the demand for document delivery of single articles. The author also indicates the challenges of offering e-journals
as “bundled” packages and UAEU’s concern about the library’s inability to remove irrelevant titles, control cost, and retain the freedom to make
changes on its journal collection.
Originality/value – Since there has been little or no discussion in the library literature on the impact that the increasing use of e-journals has on
academic institutions in developing countries, this case study of the UAEU experience should be useful to others in the Gulf region and in other parts of
developing countries, as well as the library community in general.
Keywords Electronic journals, Academic libraries, United Arab Emirates, Persian Gulf States, Collections management, Developing countries
Paper type Case study
Introduction
Developing countries differ from developed ones not only
because they have less capital but because they have less
knowledge. This was the theme of the World Bank’s (1999)
World Development Report 1998/1999: Knowledge for
Development. The report stated that creating knowledge is
often costly, and that is why much of it is done in developed
countries. However, developing nations, the report stressed,
can acquire knowledge overseas as well as create, at home,
knowledge that may not be readily available elsewhere. Access
to journal literature is an essential ingredient to successfully
narrow the knowledge gap between developing and developed
countries.
There has been little or no discussion on the question of
whether, or to what extent, the increasing availability of
electronic journals (e-journals) is impacting academic
institutions in developing countries. The e-journal is defined
here as “any journal that is available online, including both
electronic-only journals, and journals that are available both
electronically and in print” (Smith, 2003). This case study
highlights the experience of the UAE University (UAEU) and
examines the impact of the growing availability of e-journals
on the operations of UAEU Libraries and its user community.
The UAEU, with more than 16,000 students, is the oldest
and the largest institution in the national higher education
system of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is a
technologically oriented university with the infrastructure
needed to support dynamic library services and resources.
In 2002/2003, the Libraries Deanship of UAEU made a
commitment to cancel printed journals and migrate to an all-
e-journal collection. As a result, the UAEU community
currently has access to a huge number of e-journals. Elsevier’s
ScienceDirect, Springer-Link, Blackwell-Synergy, Wiley-
InterScience, Institute of Physics (IOP), Oxford University
Press online, JSTOR, and Emerald are the prominent
“bundled” databases giving UAEU faculty and students
desktop electronic access to a wide selection of journal
literature.
UAEU Libraries Deanship consists of the Zayed Central
Library and five branch libraries – two in the women’s
campus and three in the men’s campuses. Furthermore, the
UAEU has a health sciences library, known as the National
Medical Library (NML), offering services to faculty and
students in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Both the Libraries Deanship and the NML Library come
under the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, and they
share electronic resources.
The Emerald Research Register for this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregister
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0160-4953.htm
Collection Building
24/2 (2005) 48–55
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited [ISSN 0160-4953]
[DOI 10.1108/01604950510592652]
This article is based on a presentation for the Internet Librarian
International 2004 (ILI) Conference, London, UK, October 2004.
Received: October 2004
Reviewed: November 2004
Accepted: December 2004
48