Yes.

I'm not endorsing Wilson per se. There are others that would be of interest and many journals are indexed in multiple services. What you as a "publisher" would be getting is systematic exposure and vetting as a quality publication. Many libraries subscribe to these products and encourage their students and faculty to use them. Your journal will appear before thousands of scholars as a reliable source of information. Librarians stress this in the age of Google. By now, even the undergraduates are wary of web-only sources. Even if they discover TESOL via your web site, they often don't have enough experience to judge the quality of your site but, if found in Wilson or another index, they know that someone has evaluated your content.

How long indexing services will last as a product that libraries acquire is another matter. As web search engines become more sophisticated (I'm a big user of Google Scholar but it's still not up to snuff for thorough searches), the index/abstract systems will have to change. It's tough to justify spending 5 to 6 figure amounts for indexing when many sources of quick information are free. In other words, as you consider Wilson's contract, think "5 year term." Also check with other organizations similar to yours about royalties, exclusivity, etc. clauses.

Carol Edwards wrote:

I have a fairly basic question that I would appreciate getting the library perspective on. I have been approached by The Wilson Company to license our association journal for inclusion in the Education Full Text Database. I would like to know if these types of databases are of value, and do libraries subscribe to them? Do they still serve a purpose in this age of large platforms like Ingenta and endless linking through CrossRef?

 

Thank you,

 

Carol Edwards

Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc.

 

 


-- 
Sharon L. Siegler
Engineering Librarian
Lehigh University
Fairchild/Martindale Library 8A
Bethlehem, PA 18015
(work) 610-758-3068
(fax) 610-758-6524