Some thoughts on the access v. holdings debate

Questions whether there is an overall trend towards access rather than local holdings, using a number of SCONUL statistics to support the conclusion reached. Briefly reviews an experiment conducted at Cranfield University in which all printed journal subscriptions were cancelled and enhanced access was provided via the UnCover service. An increase of 166 per cent in interlibrary loans was recorded, resulting in an increase of 30 per cent in total costs, after the savings on journals were taken into account.