-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: ACS web edition -- Rani Sinha
Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 22:17:34 -0400
From: David Goodman <dgoodman@phoenix.princeton.edu>

This is increasingly a problem. The most practical thing to do may be to
give the print to some college that cant afford it-- or even better, the
first sale doctrine still applies to print, and there is I believe
nothing
to stop you from selling it for half-price. I think the ACS would
probably
not be happy at this but I don't think they can stop you.

The justification of the ACS practice is that their revenue  (and
consequently their online pricing) is based upon
the continuation of the print. The institutional print price normally
includes a sizable portion of the expenses of running the journal.
The cost of producing the print is usually 1/10 or less of that.

David Goodman, Princeton University Biology Library
dgoodman@princeton.edu            609-258-3235

> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: ACS web edition
> Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 16:22:14 -0400
> From: Rani Sinha <sinhav@mail.lafayette.edu>
>
>
> A  year ago, Lafayette College began offering web access to ACS
> journals.  Previously a prohibitive expense for a college without a
> graduate program, we joined a consortial agreement with a number of
> other Pennsylvania universities and colleges, in order to provide this
> valuabel resource to chemistry faculty and students.  The cost was a
> modest ~$3.4 K per annum.  The terms of the agreement stipulated that we
> would not be able to cancel print subscriptions already ongoing, for the
> duration of this consortial agreement.
>
> The chemistry faculty, however, reassessed its needs and asked to cancel
> the print subscription for the 2001 year to one of the journals.  ACS
> expects payment for the $700 print subscription anyway.  It may very
> well be that faculty will request additional print subscriptions be
> ended in future, because our science and engineering faculty are
> increasingly comfortable with print-only access and would rather the
> funds be used for resources other than a duplicate print subscription.
>
> Has anyone else faced this situation?  How did you handle it?
>
> I am in the process of assessing if it is still advantageous for
> Lafayette to pay for a ghost subscription, but it doesn't make sense to
> me and actually goes against my institution's wish not to have duplicate
> holdings in multiple formats.
>
> Thanks.
> Rani Sinha, Acquisitions/Serials Librarian
> Skillman Library, Lafayette College, Easton, PA  18042
>