An Analysis of the Use of Electronic Journals in a Spanish Academic Context: Developments and Profitability

This article studies the models of consumption of the academic communities of five Spanish universities with regard to the use of contents distributed by four major providers of electronic journals from the time at which subscriptions were first taken until 2010. Similarly, the authors undertook an initial approach to assess the value of the financial investment in such subscriptions on the basis of data from the Spanish universities of Leon and of Vigo.

► Upward trend in the use of electronic resources in the certain Spanish academic communities. ► ScienceDirect as the distributor preferred by all five universities studied. ► Most downloads for a limited proportion of titles. ► Big Deal model as a positive starting point, but transparent criteria needed for pricing models.