News from Patricia Killiard, Head of Electronic Services and Systems, Cambridge University Library (UL):
As featured in a brief article in the January edition of the University Library Readers’ Newsletter, the library has acquired the complete backfiles of Elsevier ScienceDirect electronic journals with funding from HEFCE’s Science Research Infrastructure Fund.
As an addition to the electronic resources offered by the University Library it is unprecedented. Each of the 2,152 journal titles is available from the first issue of publication, making available a total of over 7 million articles in a cross-searchable collection. Access to the ScienceDirect backfiles is available university-wide along with the current content at http://www.sciencedirect.com. For access within the university no passwords are required. Off-campus access is available for holders of Athens passwords [note that Athens passwords may be obtained from your faculty library or the UL].
All entries in ejournals@cambridge have been updated to reflect the new coverage of ScienceDirect. Entries in the University Library’s Newton Catalogue and the Universal Catalogue will be amended within the next few weeks.
Information about the backfile coverage, including downloadable spreadsheets of titles in each subject area, is available from the Elsevier ScienceDirect web site at
http://www.info.sciencedirect.com/content/journals/backfiles/. All subject collections, including supplements, have been acquired.
Key journals include The Lancet, from 1823 onwards, Physics Reports, Analytica Chimica Acta, Topology, Behaviour Research and Therapy, Neuroscience, Research in Microbiology, and Cell. As well as making existing peer-reviewed titles held within the University more readily accessible, the electronic backfiles widen the range of titles immediately available in Cambridge, obviating the need to acquire articles through document delivery and inter-library loan. This initiative moves the University Library a step closer to meeting demands for all journals to be available online. In addition to the e-journal backfiles the agreement with Elsevier will add a number of major electronic reference works to the collection, including the International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences, Encyclopedia of Biological Chemistry, Encyclopedia of Neurological Sciences, and Comprehensive Coordination Chemistry II.