Expanding User Access to E-Journals through Electronic Consortiums by Academic Libraries

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Amidst escalating subscription costs and evolving user expectations, academic libraries are facing the imperativeness to enhance their services, to enable their users to access scholarly literature, particularly e-journals. Using a literature review approach, the article explores the role of electronic consortia as a strategic mechanism to expand user access to e-journals. To achieve the aim of the study, the nature of academic libraries was presented, the concept of electronic journals (e-journals) was explored, the advantages of e-journals were highlighted, the meaning of electronic consortium by academic libraries was offered, the reasons/justification for electronic consortium by academic libraries were postulated and how user access to e-journals are expanded through electronic consortium by academic libraries was discussed. However, the article concludes by stressing that forming a consortium offers a bridge of technical competencies, geographical coverage and partnerships that have the potential to implement resilience building among the participating libraries. Hence, e-consortium by academic libraries could be affirmed to be the best strategy to be utilized for expanding user access to e-journals in academic library environments.