Of possible interest SERIALST readers. Please excuse cross-posting.

PROJECT MUSE USER GROUP MEETING AND NEW PRICING MODEL ANNOUNCEMENT AT
ALA ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Please join Project MUSE for our annual User Group Meeting at the ALA
Annual Conference in Orlando, FL. Muse supports both librarians and
nonprofit publishers by delivering journals in electronic form as
part of an affordable package. We will be making important
announcements regarding our new pricing model and Muse subscription
options for 2005.

Saturday, June 26
8:00 - 9:00 am
Salon C
Crowne Plaza Universal Hotel
7800 Universal Boulevard

At the User Group meeting, we'll share the results of our recent
pricing model study, conducted with the assistance of October Ivins
and Judy Luther, who are both librarians with extensive serials
backgrounds and experience with journal publishers. Our new model
addresses budget pressures affecting both our subscribers and
participating publishers, and the increasingly rapid transition from
print to electronic for library subscriptions. Judy and October
shared their recommendations with the Muse participating publishers
at our annual meeting in April, and details of our new pricing model
are being finalized. We will announce our future pricing plans, as
well as preliminary pricing estimates for Muse collections in 2005,
at the User Group session.

Final prices and title lists for the 2005 Muse collections will be
announced by early August. Current Muse subscribers and consortium
partners will be contacted directly with details about the options
available to them for 2005. We appreciate the support and
understanding of our library customers as we strive to find a model
that accommodates the needs of both librarians and publishers.

Additional background information on the new Muse pricing model may
be found on the Muse web site at
http://muse.jhu.edu/proj_descrip/pricing_forum.html. The Spring 2004
issue of Muse News also features a cover story on the pricing study,
available online at http://muse.jhu.edu/proj_descrip/news/.

The User Group meeting will also include an update on Muse features
and functionality, including news regarding OpenURL, JSTOR linking,
and new resources available to subscribing libraries through our For
Librarians page. Questions and discussion are welcome, and a light
breakfast will be available.

To assist us with our planning, please RSVP for the meeting to
muse@muse.jhu.edu, and include the number of representatives you
expect to have attending from your institution. Both prospective and
current subscribers are welcome to attend.

Project MUSE will also be exhibiting at ALA Annual. Please visit us
at booth #1137 if you have further questions or are not able to join
us for the User Group meeting.
--
Melanie B. Schaffner
Marketing and Sales Manager, Project MUSE
c/o The Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 N. Charles St.
Baltimore, MD 21218 USA
melanie@muse.jhu.edu
Phone 410-516-3846
Fax 410-516-6968
http://muse.jhu.edu