As we approach the twenty-first century, journals offer one of the greatest challenges confronting library and information science professionals. For more than a decade, journals prices have continuously increased at a rate far higher than general inflation and library funding levels, placing genuine financial pressure on most libraries. Some of the technological developments such as electronic journals, CD-ROMs, listservs, the Internet, and the World Wide Web (WWW) have reduced the crisis in this regard to some extent. However, at the same time it also creates unresolved problems and opportunities for the library professionals in particular and growth of information in various subject fields in general. Like in other subject fields, the growth of e-journals in Social Science has also increased many folds during last few years. In 1989–90 Ulrich's listed 2131 serials in an online format (either exclusively online or simultaneously with a print version); in 1998 it contained 8762.
