Oxford English Dictionary users might soon only be able to find the new edition online.

Publishers of the OED recently announced that the 3rd edition of the dictionary may be released online only, according to the New York Times. Considerations for an online-only form stem from the growing preference of the dictionary’s online subscription service — which can be purchased for an annual fee of $295. The print edition can cost up to $1,000. Subscription to the online edition includes frequent updates of word usages, in addition to the lower cost.

Bill Kretzschmar, professor at the University and consultant to the OED for American English pronunciations, said that the company’s announcement had been considered for a long time.

“It’s a new announcement, but it’s old news,” he said. “It’s been hard for dictionaries to make a profit, because everyone wants to get information for free online.”

Kretzschmar said the loss of the print edition wouldn’t affect students negatively, however.

“Here at UGA, we get OED online as part of a package that the library buys. It’s part of Galileo,” he said. “And in Georgia, at least, this will probably not have any effect because most libraries have access to Galileo.”

Kristin Nielsen, head of reference at the University’s Main Library, said most students preferred the online edition of the dictionary.

She also said resources that were made available exclusively online often reduced financial costs for libraries.

“[Online and print editions have] always been a strain for libraries, because you’re essentially providing the same information twice,” she said. “If you buy a book, you pay for it once, and then it’s just on your shelf. But with the OED, you pay for it yearly, and they update it more often.”

Kretzschmar said updates to the online edition of the dictionary were one of the things that made it more reliable than other, free dictionaries.

“The fact is that dictionaries are not all the same,” he said. “Words are always being used in new combinations. Meanings are always changing, and good dictionaries document that. People will use the free ones because they think they’re like milk — just a commodity that is the same no matter where you buy it. But it’s not.”

Nielsen said she felt it was possible other publishers would cease to print popular resources and make them available only online, but that she was not aware of comparable examples.

“A lot of publishers are thinking about publishing online since there’s not a lot of demand for print editions,” she said. “If it’s something we would normally provide in print, then we would probably offer it online. And we would probably try to meet most requests, but it would really depend on pricing.”