3 messages, 140 lines:
(1)-----------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Jun 1996 15:51:13 -0900
From: David James <David.James@JHU.EDU>
Subject: Re: Feedback requested on WWW journal project -Reply
Comments: To: Philip Mestecky <p.mestecky@ELSEVIER.CO.UK>
Comments: cc: Multiple recipients of list SERIALST <SERIALST@uvmvm.uvm.edu>
Although Johns Hopkins is a relatively small institution, the number of
potential users would be far too great for us to provide any online
publisher with the individual addresses in order for the publisher to
provide them with passwords. Also, this would be unacceptble, because we
would not be able to monitor their use of the passwords. This would
raise an untold number of difficulties with license compliance.
I am sorry that the use of the domain would not provide sufficient
security. It, rather that a large number of IP addresses, would be most
efficient for us. I should have made that clearer in my original
message. My thanks to those who pointed that out in subsequent
responses.
I don't believe this issue will be settled quickly or easily. I
appreciate Mr. Mestecky's response and I am encouraged to believe that an
ongoing dialog between librarians, publishers, and agents will be
beneficial to all interested parties, including the users the libraries
serve. As technology continues to progress at such a rapid pace, perhaps
we should engage hardware and software producers in our discussions as
well. I am not sure that we have engaged them sufficiently for them to
be aware of our needs, although I could be wrong. They certainly might
have something to contribute in this area.
David Willis James Phone: (410) 516-8332
Head of Acquisitions Fax: (410) 516-8928
Interim Head of Preservation Voice Mail: (410) 516-5486
The Milton S. Eisenhower Library The Johns Hopkins University
(2)-----------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Jun 1996 11:01:57 -0700
From: Sandy Heft <sandyh@CCO.CALTECH.EDU>
Subject: Re: Feedback requested on WWW journal project -Reply
Dear Mr. Mestecky
I have been following this discussion with some interest and have
been meaning to join in. Your posting below has convinced me that now is
the time.
The California Institute of Technology is quite small.
Nevertheless, we have 500+ faculty, 1000+ research fellows, 1100+
graduate students, and 800+ undergraduates. These users are not a static
group-we get new people all year round, people graduate, get new jobs, etc.
We do primary scientific research here and at sites throughout
the world. Our users are quite sophisticated and even more demanding.
They travel regularly and have the equipment and know-how to use the
Internet in a myriad ways whether on campus, at home,
or elsewhere in the USA and the rest of the world. They access
the library's and their own electronic resources through our campus
network wherever they are so they always come in through Caltech-authorized
IP addresses.
Since 1988, the library has provided a service called TOC/DOC, a table
of contents/document delivery service, using the ISI tapes and a BRS search
engine. According to our site license, this service is available to the
Caltech community only. Our users love this service. If they leave
Caltech, they no longer are eligible for TOC/DOC access. We get a calls
and email messages regularly from former Caltech people asking us to
PLEASE let them use TOC/DOC. TOC/DOC access is not passworded; it
is controlled solely by IP number. To my knowledge, we have never had a
successful breakin.
Besides TOC/DOC, IP-controlled access successfully works for
us with the Britannica Online and MathSciNet, among other subscriptions.
We also subscribe to many Institute of Physics journals in print. As a
result, we are able to access electronic versions of these journals
via the Web. The IOP has given us a global User ID and a global password;
we have given them a list of our authorized IP numbers. We include the
Id and password in the catalog record for our OPAC AND on our Web page.
(The IOP does insist that each user request his/her own individual id and
password, and to fill out a brief profile form. In my opinion, this is
being done to track use and gather marketing and pricing data, since
individuals cannot get to this point unless they enter through one of our
authorized IPs.
I realize publishers need to figure out new ways to stay in
business as we move from a print to an electronic environment. Creating
busy work for librarians is not the answer. Ip-controlled access has
worked and will continue to do so.
Sandra M. Heft
Head, Technical Services
Caltech Library System
Mail Code 1-32
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA 91125
818-395-6415 FAX=818-792-7540 sandyh@cco.caltech.edu
On Thu, 6 Jun 1996, Philip Mestecky wrote:
> Dear Mr James,
>
> Many thanks for your comments about our proposed online journal
> project. I, too, would prefer to use the IP addresses of users as the
> means of regulating the system. The only problem for us is getting hold of
> IP addresses of valid users. The best way for this to happen is for the
> librarian to consolidate these and forward them to us at the time of
> subscription. However, would librarians be prepared to do this?
>
> I am told by our IT experts that the level of security afforded by the
> domain level of the IP address is not sufficient due to the existence of
> proxy servers etc. In addition, there will inevitably be researchers at a
> given site who do not share the same domain name as the library and
> this too may cause difficulties.
>
> Perhaps a simple solution is for the librarian to supply us with the names
> and addresses and e-mail addresses of users that they deem suitable,
> and then we contact the users directly with passwords.
>
> Do you think that this could work?
>
> Best Regards
>
> Phil Mestecky
> Market Development Manager
> Elsevier Science Ltd
> p.mestecky@elsevier.co.uk
(3)-------------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Jun 1996 14:17:00 -0400
From: "Crooker, Cynthia L." <crookercl@MEDPO1.MED.YALE.EDU>
Subject: Re Feedback on Elsevier WWW proposal
It would NOT be simple for us to provide the names, addresses, and email
addresses of the thousands of users at Yale University (or most other
educational institutions). Nor would it be easy for Elsevier to contact them
all. This is the worst idea yet.
Cynthia Crooker
Cushing/Whitney Medical Library
Yale University
