Libraries must take an active role in collecting and archiving electronic journals to ensure that their contents remain accessible to users as far into the future as possible. The CICNet electronic journals project represents a promising example of cooperative network-based archiving undertaken by the library community, but at the present stage of development the most reliable archiving option is for individual libraries or library consortia to obtain electronic journals directly from the network and establish their own access and archiving procedures. Problems involving in long-term electronic archiving include the short life expectancies of digital storage media, hardware and software dependency, and the need for authentication devices to distinguish between versions of electronic records and ensure that theire are no unidentified changes in content.
Library and Information Science
Neavill, G. B., & Sheblé, M. A. (1995). Archiving electronic journals. Serials Review, 21(4), 13-21. doi:10.1016/0098-7913(95)90062-4