Date: Tue, 08 Sep 1998 18:56:35 -0400
From: Albert Henderson <NobleStation@COMPUSERVE.COM>
Subject: Re: "Quarterly" publications (was: Jrnl of Multicultural Social Work)

on Mon, 7 Sep 1998 Simone JEROME <sjerome@ULG.AC.BE> wrote:

> Thank you for your comments, Mr Henderson.
> I know your opinion on University funding but going back to
> the sixties would require a thorough historical study and I
> am not competent.

You might like to look at the following articles:

The Cost-effectiveness of science journals (Publishing Research
Quarterly 8,3 (Fall 1992) p. 72-91.)

The shrinking national collection. (Library Acquisitions Practice
and Theory) 18,1 (1994) p. 3-22.

The Bottleneck in Research Communications (Publishing Research
Quarterly 10,4 (Winter 1994/95) p. 5-21.)

> Moreover I work in a rather small European University which
> cannot compete with Mellon and Columbia.
> But what I can say about the last years i.e. the nineties
> is that the average price of periodicals has doubled in less
> than 10 years and that my salary has not, far from it. Neither
> has the cost of living index nor the budget of the University.
> What is wrong in that equation ?

Most science journals have increased the number of pages and
articles they deliver. They use more paper, printing, postage,
and administrative service. Have you increased your productivity
and consumption in a similar way?

Albert Henderson, Editor, PUBLISHING RESEARCH QUARTERLY
<70244.1532@compuserve.com>

University of Liege
Institute of chemistry B6
4000 Sart Tilman (Liege 1)
BELGIUM

sjerome@ulg.ac.be
former address : udspring@vm1.ulg.ac.be