Date: Wed, 9 Apr 1997 15:31:49 +0000
Reply-to: l.robson@unsw.edu.au
From: "Lionel Robson" <Lionel.Robson@sam.comms.unsw.EDU.AU>
Subject: Re: Periodical Price Inflation

Peter Jansen <p.jansen@AUCKLAND.AC.NZ> wrote:
>
> Re: Virginia Roy's email entitled "1997 Price Index for
> Canadian Libraries" in which indicates that "Periodical price
> inflation reaches lowest level in eight years", it being only
> projected to rise by 10.28%.
>
> The publishers gravy train certainly seems to be going to full steam
> ahead. At a time of between 1 - 4% inflation in most industrialised
> economies these price increases seem extravagant, as do the 10%+
>  increases in each of the last eight years.
>
> I realise that the supply of many academic journals is relatively low, hence
> the high price. However, one would think this would be built into the
> original publication price of the journal, and would not impact on any
> subsequent price inflation.
>
> How do publishers justify (if at all) such increases ?

=== They don't have to.  Thre puntrers just keep on buying them.  It
is all about economic concepts of elasticity and inelasticity.

> And more importantly, is there anything that can be done about it ?

=== No, nothing can be done because this is the price paid for
academic publishing's  record keeping.  The trick is to keep libraries paying
the bill for this record keeping instead of the publishers
themselves.  It has worked so far in spite of librarians pointing out
how silly it is.  No reason to think that it won't continue.  Just
goes to show that it is possible to fool all the people all of the
time.
won't continue.

> Regards
>
> Peter Jansen
> Acquisitions Librarian
> Philson Library
> University of Auckland
> Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand
> Phone (+64 9) 373 7599 ext 6131
> Fax (+64 9) 373 7491
> <p.jansen@AUCKLAND.AC.NZ>
>
>
Lionel Robson
Manager, Collection Services
University of New South Wales
Sydney  NSW  Australia  2052
Tel. 61+2.9385.2656
Fax. 61+2.9385.8002
E-mail  l.robson@unsw.edu.au