ECO Transition Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Will my library still have access to the journal(s) we subscribe to via Electronic Collections Online now that OCLC is not adding new Electronic Collections Online material?

A. Yes. Your library will continue to have access to the journals to which you subscribe in Electronic Collections Online through the end of your subscription period. Once a subscription ends, you can continue to access the journal issues to which you subscribed through an archive of Electronic Collections Online content. You may contact orders@oclc.org to subscribe to the archive for an annual fee.

In its contractual agreements with publishers, OCLC retains the rights to mount all content at OCLC and create a permanent electronic archive. This includes the right to store all the journal content delivered to OCLC during the period of the contract and to provide ongoing access to libraries that have subscribed to this content, even if the publisher terminates its agreement with OCLC.

Q. How will users connect to this e-journal content when it is available only as an archive?

A. Once your library has set up access to the archive, users will access the e-journal content in the following way:

• Search the Electronic Collections Online bibliographic database on FirstSearch, WorldCat.org, WorldCat Local or WorldCat Local "quick start." Note that library staff need to enable access to the database for it to display on WorldCat.org, WorldCat Local and WorldCat Local "quick start."
• Users will be able to access only the full-text articles included in your libraries' past subscriptions. This access is controlled by their authorization number in FirstSearch and IP address in WorldCat.org, WorldCat Local and WorldCat Local "quick start."
• If your library has set up access to eContent through the WorldCat knowledge base, your users may also locate the articles they need from sources other than the Electronic Collections Online archive.

Q. Does my library need to renew our Electronic Collections Online journal subscription with OCLC to guarantee ongoing access to journals to which we subscribed in past years?

A. No. You may maintain access to the journal issues included in your past subscriptions on an ongoing basis by paying an annual Electronic Collections Online access fee. This access fee will support the maintenance of archive files.

OCLC will automatically set up your access to the Electronic Collections Online archive and bill your account for the annual fee in January 2012. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE ARCHIVE, please contact orders@oclc.org and we will not set up archive access for your library.

Q. My library does not want to pay an access fee to OCLC for access to journal content from past subscriptions. Is there another way OCLC can give us access to this content?

A. If you do not want to maintain access to the archive of e-journal subscriptions through the Electronic Collections Online archive, we will work with you to determine the most viable alternate option for delivery of this content.

Q. What is the cost of the access fee?

A. OCLC Order Services can confirm the access fee for your library.

Q. Will any new content be added to Electronic Collections Online after January 31, 2012?

A. No, we will cease adding new journals and new articles after January 31, 2011. One exception is outstanding journal issues for active subscriptions that are published following January 31, 2012.

Q. Some issues are missing from journals in my Electronic Collections Online subscriptions. How will I receive this content?

A. OCLC and Electronic Collections Online journal publishers will work together to add new content from current subscriptions to the service archive. We do not plan to retrospectively fill existing gaps in subscription content. You may wish to contact the publisher of a journal with missing issues to determine how to provide access to you for this content.

Q. Issues included in my subscriptions are grayed out on my screen and do not allow me to click through to full-text articles. How can I have his access fixed?

A. You may contact OCLC Order Services for assistance with this problem.

Q. I have heard that OCLC plans to retire the FirstSearch interface within the next few years? How will this affect my access to the Electronic Collections Online e-journals to which my library has subscribed?

A. OCLC does plan to retire the FirstSearch service at some point, but has not announced a final date for this change. When this happens, the Electronic Collections Online bibliographic database will continue to be searchable through WorldCat.org, WorldCat Local and WorldCat Local "quick start."

The Electronic Collections Online bibliographic database will become a static file on February 1, 2012 when we stop adding new e-journal content. However, for the immediate future, we plan to maintain access to the Electronic Collections Online database in its current form.

Get information on how to set up access to the Electronic Collections Online database through WorldCat.org ››