ABSTRACT
The impact on intellectual property rights brought on by the emergence of electronic publications, exemplified by online journals, portends some significant need for human capital (skills) appreciated by technical services librarians. This may be revealed by conjecture on the future based on experience with printed journals and by examination of recent activities in the online, electronic environment. This chapter proceeds as follows. First, the nature of the journal is described in order to form the basis for affirming the needs of the scholarly community. Second, a brief examination of property rights institutions, with particular regard for intellectual property, is compared with the current state of the electronic environment to illuminate the nature of the transition which is under way in sharing of scholarly information. Third, suggestions are made on the implications these issues impose on the working technical services librarian’s base of skills. Fourth, the chapter concludes with a summary.
