2 messages:
_____

1)___

Date: Wed, 05 Mar 1997 20:47:35 -0500 (EST)
From: Kate McCain <MCCAINKW@DUVM.OCS.DREXEL.EDU>
Subject: Re: Personal/Institutional Prices (Eleanor Cook)

A number of years ago, Glen Wittig wrote a piece on this.  I think there have
been others (Mike Koenig may have written one) that make an economics case for
the dual pricing.  But I agree that it should be looked at again.

Kate McCain
mccainkw@duvm.ocs.drexel.edu

2)___

Date: Thu, 06 Mar 1997 09:13:45 -0500
From: Steve Black <blacks@ROSNET.STROSE.EDU>
Subject: Re: Personal/Institutional Prices

Orion Pozo asked about work done on the spread between institutional and
personal subscription prices.  A key to the difference is elasticity of
demand.  Subscriptions tend to be a luxury for individuals,
but a necessity for libraries.  Supply and demand allow publishers to
charge a higher rate for libraries, because they are less likely to cancel
due to higher rates than are individuals.  Articles on this include:

Bebensee, Strauch, and Strauch, "Elasticity and Journal Pricing" The
Acquistions Librarian, 2:219-227 (1989)

Lewis, "Economics of the Scholarly Journal" College & Research Libraries
674-688 (1989)

Peterson, "The Economics of Economics Journals" College & Research
Libraries 53(2):176-181 (1992)

Walstrom-Haley and Talaga, "Marketing Theory Applied to Price
Discrimination in Journals" Journal of Academic Librarianship 16:348-351
(1991)

Brookfield, ed. Scholarly Communication and Serials Prices (1991).

These are selected from the bibliography in my Economics of Information
course taught by Bruce R. Kingma of SUNY-Albany a few years ago.  A look
at his various publications might be worthwhile.

I agree that an analysis of the spreads in 1997 is an excellent research
project.  Even if it's been done before (and I don't know that it has),
it's well worth revisiting.

************************************************************************
Steve Black
Reference, Serials and Instruction Librarian
Neil Hellman Library
The College of Saint Rose
Albany, NY  12203                                  "Cogito eggo sum"
blacks@rosnet.strose.edu                     (I think, therefore I waffle)