(Fwd) Using library $$$$ better / Zeitschriftenpreise

[Thomas Hilberer <Thomas.Hilberer _at__ ub.uni-duesseldorf.de>]

Liebe Kolleginnen und  Kollegen,

wer liest schon gerne lange E-Mails, besonders wenn 
sie auf Englisch sind, :-((!

Ich haette da eine, die ich Ihnen trotzdem zumuten 
moechte, auch wenn der Inhalt weder uns noch den 
Verlagen gefallen wird.

Tatsaechlich geht es dem Verfasser, einem 
Chemie-Professor, darum, das  symbiotische Verhaeltnis 
zwischen Bibliotheken und Verlagen
(Remember, publishers live off our library budgets)
aufzuloesen:
There is no incentive for us (=die Wissenschaftler) to 
cancel overpriced or weak journals. If we do, 
libraries simply spend the money elsewhere.  However, 
if we had a large stake in those budgets, and acted 
collectively, we could reign in costs and journal 
proliferation dramatically.

Sein Loesungsvorschlag:
Try to work with your Administration to get a real
financial stake in your journals budget. Some
librarians are receptive. Most have mixed reactions.
There is a lot of money at stake. I am working "top
down" with the Chancellor and Executive Vice-Chancellor
at UC Riverside as well as "bottom up" with selected
librarians.

Das ist nun nicht so dramatisch neu, wie es scheinen 
mag; Oliver Obst z.B. hat in seiner 
ausgezeichneten, unbedingt lesenswerten 
Artikelserie im B'dienst 2000 fuer einen "Virtuellen 
Bibliotheksetat" plaediert (H. 10).

Auffaellig ist vielmehr, dass sich dergleichen 
Rundbriefe und Initiativen haeufen (siehe
http://www.uni-duesseldorf.de/ulb/zeit.html#akt).

In aller Deutlichkeit stellen sie an uns Bibliothekare 
die Frage, ob wir uns eher als Verbuendete der 
Verleger oder der Wissenschaftler sehen wollen.

The New York Times (Nov 3, 00) recently reported that
NYU proposed cancelling Elsevier's Tet. Lett. (ca. 
$7000), presumably in response to the rise of the ACS 
journal Org. Lett. (ca. $1100).  If a good part of the 
savings went to the Chemistry Department, I could see 
why they would do that.  Do it to 20 journals and you 
are talking about a lot of money.  I think this is the 
only way to change the out-of-control publishing 
culture that is engulfing us.

Die  vollstaendige  Mail folgt. 
Der gleiche Autor hat zum Thema auch in 
Chemistry & Engineering News Jan 29 issue, 2001, p
37-38 publiziert 
("Drowning in a Sea of Refereed Publications"; auch
http://reedgroup.ucr.edu/seaofpubs.html).

Mit bestem Dank und herzlichen Gruessen
Ihr
Thomas Hilberer
Es hat aufgehoert zu schneien!

*****
Dear Chairs and Library Liason Faculty (please forward):
         Following an earlier e-mail on the Public Library of Science 
initiative, I now suggest further action to help solve some of the problems 
we face with the high cost of journals and the publication overload that is 
engulfing us (see attachment).  Your efforts could redirect valuable funds 
to your Department.
         First, consider the problem of too many chemistry journals and 
their high cost (ca. $400,000 annually on our campus). Market forces have 
not worked to reduce their number or cost. The market is dysfunctional 
because we, the "customers", give away the "product" and exercise almost no 
buying preference. There is no incentive for us to cancel overpriced or 
weak journals. If we do, libraries simply spend the money 
elsewhere.  However, if we had a large stake in those budgets, and acted 
collectively, we could reign in costs and journal proliferation 
dramatically. Remember, publishers live off our library budgets.
         There is another good reason for Departments to gain some control 
of their journals budget. With electronic publishing, journal costs are 
being transferred to us, but resources to pay are not. As authors, we now 
do most of the work of getting an article into publication quality format, 
usually without secretarial help. As readers of electronic journals, we are 
becoming the hard copy printers -- using our own paper, our own printers. 
It won't be long before everyone will want (or need) a color printer. As 
soon as complete back issues are available online (Science, J. Biol. Chem. 
already are; ACS will be by the end of the year) we will not need our 
traditional research libraries much at all. The Learned Society electronic 
portals will become the world's libraries. And, of course, commercial 
portals will continue to hold us ransom.  Librarians can move back into 
Departments where they are needed to help users deal with the online 
library.  Last month Australia cancelled all print versions of 
journals.  Small Learned Society journals could experience a renaissance if 
they go electronic, become free and maintain quality.
         I suggest a collective movement based on the following plan.
(a) Try to work with your Administration to get a real financial stake in 
your journals budget. Some librarians are receptive. Most have mixed 
reactions. There is a lot of money at stake. I am working "top down" with 
the Chancellor and Executive Vice-Chancellor at UC Riverside as well as 
"bottom up" with selected librarians.  The chemistry librarian at U 
Wisconsin actually suggested this strategy a couple of years ago.  See 
http://www-mathdoc.ujf-grenoble.fr/NSPI/Numeros/1997-177.html
(b) Check the costs of journals with your own librarian (or see 
http://www.wisc.edu/wendt/journalcost.pdf ), ask your colleagues to rank 
them, compare impact factors and usage, and start cancelling the weak and 
overpriced ones.
(c) Get all your faculty members on board by ensuring that they all profit 
significantly every time a journal is cancelled.  The quid pro quo is that 
they stop submitting, refereeing, editing etc for the cancelled journal.
(d) Correspond with me about successes, failures and journal cancellations. 
I will compile information and report progress.  I promise not to drown you 
in emails.
         The New York Times (Nov 3, 00) recently reported that NYU proposed 
cancelling Elsevier's Tet. Lett. (ca. $7000), presumably in response to the 
rise of the ACS journal Org. Lett. (ca. $1100).  If a good part of the 
savings went to the Chemistry Department, I could see why they would do 
that.  Do it to 20 journals and you are talking about a lot of money.  I 
think this is the only way to change the out-of-control publishing culture 
that is engulfing us.
         Please join in this effort. The time is right.  Otherwise, I fear 
we are soon going to lose control of our literature behind expensive 
electronic portals.
Yours sincerely,
Chris Reed

***************************************************
Professor Christopher A. Reed
Department of Chemistry
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA 92521-0403.

Email: chris.reed _at__ ucr.edu    Phone: 1(909)787 5197
Fax: 1(909)787 2027.   Pierce Hall Annex Rm 225
Website:  <http://reedgroup.ucr.edu/>http://reedgroup.ucr.edu

Assistant: Lisa Gonzales:  Pierce Hall Annex Rm 224
Phone 1(909) 787 3786.   lisag _at__ mail.ucr.edu
**************************************************** 

-------
Dr. Thomas Hilberer, c/o Universitaets- und Landesbibliothek Duesseldorf
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