The role of the scholarly publisher in an electronic environment

Scholarly publishing has changed as a result of a shrinking market for specialized materials, increased production costs, and advances in computer technology. Publishing on CD-ROM or on the Internet offers reduced production costs, increased storage capability, and enhanced access to information through resources such as World Wide Web and tools such as Gopher, Mosaic, and Storyspace. For publishers to provide high-quality, peer-reviewed, and edited material in an online environment, cost recovery methods must be developed that provide well-designed user interfaces and that ensure network security. The scholarly publisher's imprint will continue to be a sign of quality and credibility, but the online environment also enables scholarly publishers and libraries to redefine their roles in the dissemination of information.published or submitted for publicatio