CDL-University of Chicago journals [Responses]

From: Lynn Sipe <lsipe_at_usc.edu>
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2007 10:49:07 -0800
To: COLLDV-L_at_usc.edu
[Original posting on this topic is at the end of the responses.]

(1) From: Steven Harris <SteHar_at_library.lib.usu.edu>

We also think it is horrifying!  We had hoped to go the campus-access route 
with the "enterprise-wide" model, but we really can't justify the cost.  We 
had to go the single-user route!  Terrible.

--Steven Harris
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(2) From: "Casey, Anne M." <casey1am_at_cmich.edu>

I am glad to hear someone else feels the same way we do.  We complained to 
the publisher but did not get much of a response.

Anne Marie Casey
Central Michigan University
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(3) From: "Kevil, L H." <KevilL_at_missouri.edu>

You are not alone, Paul. Rolling over is easy, but since you have provided 
an outlet for griping, I and I'm sure others will be glad to pile on. I've 
long ago abandoned any sense that non-profit publishers are any less greedy 
than the others.

More seriously, I hope your message will lead to some kind of organized 
complaint to be forwarded to UofC Press.

Hunter

L. Hunter Kevil
Collection Development Librarian
University of Missouri-Columbia
Columbia, MO 65201
573-884-8760
kevill_at_missouri.edu
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(4) From: "Anderson, Helen" <handerson_at_UR.Rochester.edu>

For our library, switching to the enterprise wide license and going e-only 
for all titles would result in a 35% price increase. When I checked the 
usage, the highest number of successful full text article requests over a 
12 month period was 313. For most titles, it was under 100. We have all our 
Chicago titles clearly listed in our OPAC and on our ejournals list so it's 
not as though people can't find them if they want them. It is hard to 
believe that the publisher can think that they will be able to get these 
prices from anyone who is watching their numbers and trying to leverage 
their materials budget.

With this in mind, I approached the Chicago reps at the vendor showcase at 
the Charleston Conference last November. I told them about my findings.  I 
took away the impression that this publisher is sure that the excellence of 
his content will result in libraries signing any kind of terms and that if 
we are not seeing high use, well, then our users just don't recognize 
quality... Seeing that I wasn't getting anywhere, I resolved to continue to 
monitor use under the single user model. Without a high number of turnaways 
or faculty requests, I have no interest in pursuing this license. I've 
voted with my feet. Helen

Helen Anderson
Head, Collection Development
River Campus Libraries
University of Rochester
Rochester, NY 14627-0055
Tel. (585) 275-3302
Fax (585) 273-1032
<mailto:handerson_at_library.rochester.edu>handerson_at_library.rochester.edu

From: Paul Metz <pmetz_at_vt.edu>

Cross-posting this to ICOLC and national colldev list, with apologies for 
duplication:

I'm surprised not to have seen strong expressions of concern from the 
community about the University of Chicago's "enterprise model,"
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/subs_inst_enterprise.html
which provides some excellent features including greater speed, 
supplemental content, and rss feeds but, sadly, introduces the necessity to 
pay extra for more than one simultaneous user for journals. I would have 
expected the community to decry what I think is a horrifying precedent to 
be coming from a university press -- imagine a day in which we all have to 
make title-by-title decisions about the number of users for each of our 
electronic journals.
Am I alone in this? Is anything being done or are we all rolling over?

Paul Metz, Director of Collection Management
University Libraries / Virginia Tech
P.O. Box 90001 / Blacksburg, VA / 24062-9001
Ph: (540) 231-5663   FAX: (540) 231-3694   email: pmetz_at_vt.edu
Received on Thu Mar 01 2007 - 02:26:30 EST