We are also a small liberal arts college and could not get JAMA or NEJM online with the unworkable IP restrictions, etc.. When a site license was offered, we signed up by canceling print and microform. As Diane mentioned, the print and unreliable online access was really frustrating. Our budget is also flat again, but we’re stuck at this point with the online subscriptions.
I’m glad Diane mentioned the commercial/society publisher situation. We’ve seen a lot of smaller societies get gobbled up by large publishers, which is quite disconcerting in tough financial times.
--Jennifer
Jennifer L. van Sickle M.L.S.
Serials Librarian & Sciences Coordinator
Trinity College Library
300 Summit St.
Hartford, CT USA 06106
860-297-2250 phone
From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of Diane Westerfield
Sent: Thursday, October 13, 2011 11:48 AM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: Re: [SERIALST] JAMA price increase
The online version never worked well for us, in fact both JAMA and NEJM are reoccurring problems. Was it JAMA that had the “5 dedicated workstations denoted by IP address”? Our computers, both in the library and across campus, are assigned dynamic IPs. It would be too difficult for campus IT to set up a few dedicated workstations with static IPs. So basically, online access is the old crapshoot: “Is this article publicly available on Highwire? Here’s a Highwire Press login, does it give us any extra access?”
We are a small liberal arts college without a big pre-med program, but the questions come up anyway for JAMA and NEJM. I throw my hands up and tell everyone “Yes, the situation stinks. Use the print version.” We will just keep on getting the print issues, binding them, and hope the price doesn’t go up astronomically.
--
In a recent discussion with a commercial journal rep, I got the impression that commercial publishers are competing for the highest-ranking society journals and this is inflating journal prices. Not only to snag the publishing rights for a particular journal, but also providing marketing and advertising services, and keeping the societies happy.
Meanwhile I have heard from a professor that here, at least, faculty are letting society memberships slide and their departments don’t want to pay for memberships either. If this is a general academic trend, it means that societies, even those that don’t use a commercial publisher, can feel justified in large price increases. Reasons being: A) Everyone else is doing it. B) Societies need to make up for the membership losses to continue existing, and possibly help fund other society functions like conferences.
Journal increases shift financial burdens to the library, but the library is ultimately budgeted out of the same institutional pot of money and the financial bite may affect faculty, albeit indirectly. Perhaps it’s time to encourage faculty or departments to keep up with professional memberships, and to ask their societies to hold the line on journal prices.
--
Diane Westerfield, Electronic Resources & Serials Librarian
Tutt Library, Colorado College
diane.westerfield@coloradocollege.edu
(719) 389-6661
(719) 389-6082 (fax)
From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of Zusman, Laura
Sent: Thursday, October 13, 2011 8:40 AM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: [SERIALST] JAMA price increase
Good morning,
As everyone probably knows, JAMA took away their reasonably priced print + online option. We now have to choose one or the other, and the cost for the online has increased, for us, about 600%. We called JAMA directly, mostly just to let them know that we’re unhappy with this, and they basically told us that other libraries “in our situation” are paying the increase.
I’m just wondering if other libraries really are paying, and if so, are any of you making any fuss about it?
Thanks!
Laura
Laura Zusman
Electronic Information Librarian
Rivier College
Regina Library
420 S. Main St.
Nashua, NH 03060
603.897.8683
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