It seems obvious to me that having print Journalsjournals in a Mathematics Department Librarylibrary is Beneficialbeneficial. Yes Yes, Arxiv, MathSciNet, Blogs and lecture notes by Mathematicians, Math Overflow, Wikipedia and Scholarpedia all of these have been extremely helpful in dissemination of research mathematics. Amongst other things Electronic Copieselectronic copies of Articlesarticles helped immensely in increasing accessibility.
Most Journals these days have an online version. Which probably only a few would argue is not beneficial.
What I can't get myself agree is the opinion that one should stop subscribing to print copies of Journalsjournals altogether. The arguments against subscribing both print and online I have come across are 1. Cost 2. Space Constraint 3. Redundancy.
The difference between online and print+online versions of Journalsjournals are often marginal. If Space Constraintspace constraint is an issue then one can argue against having a Librarylibrary as well. Why subscribe to the journals at all as most of the articles are available in the internet free.
What I can't fathom is the argument that Print Versionprint version of Journalsjournals have become Redundantredundant.
I am asking this as in a discussion regarding Journal Subscriptionjournal subscription many faculty members expressed the opinion that we should stop subscribing to Print Versionprint version Of The Journalsthe journals. How does one defend the case for need of Print Journalsprint journals?
Am I overly emotional and just Nostalgicnostalgic for Old Timesold times? So many times I chanced upon a result while browsing through the pages of a Journal;journal; sometimes relevant to my own area, and sometimes totally unrelated but so exciting that it got me interested in that area.
I am sure this issue or debate is not limited to my University and I am asking this question here hoping to benefit from the comments and thoughts you may share.
My question is What are the Benefitsbenefits of Subscribing Print Versionsubscribing print version Of Journalsjournals, even if Onlineonline versions are available. How it helps the research of faculty and graduate students.
Regards