Creating an Electronic Archive: Who Should Do It and Why?

Abstract Creating an electronic archive becomes increasingly critical as electronic journals become a reality and virtually all material published is digital. Libraries have traditionally played a strong role in ensuring the preservation of material for future generations and should take the lead in overseeing the creation of an electronic archive. However, creating an electronic archive is a daunting task, requiring substantial financial resources, technical expertise, a computing and telecommunications infrastructure, and, most importantly, a commitment to a permanent archive. Thorny issues involve data migration, as well as a guarantee of perpetual access, while ensuring preservation of authorship and ownership. Various players, including publishers, aggregators, individual libraries, national libraries, and library cooperatives, are analyzed as to their appropriateness as the archivists of the future.