CAUGHT IN A CROSSFIRE - ACADEMIC-LIBRARIES AND BEILSTEIN

The introduction of Beilstein Crossfire in 1994 led many academic libr arians to re-examine their treatment of the Beilstein Handbook of Orga nic Chemistry, which in a number of cases had been dropped from their subscription list. While cost factors were weighed against the require ment to cancel primary journal subscriptions when decisions were made to drop the printed Beilstein, other factors were found to be importan t when Crossfire was considered. The factors which influenced academic librarians to subscribe to Crossfire are examined in this paper. Also covered are the reception to the product after its introduction and a comparison to the funding of the CAS ONLINE Academic Program, which d oes not have a fixed subscription cost.