Date: Wed, 12 May 1999 16:31:07 +0200
From: Simone JEROME <sjerome@ULG.AC.BE>
Subject: Re: Cellular & molecular life sciences

I agree with all of you who complaint about that (bad) habit of
publishers, curiously only commercial publishers do, to
split their materials in as much as issues as possible in a
sort of quest of the absolute issue, the one which contains nothing
and which costs a maximum, as physicists searched for the absolute
zero temperature.

My question is : why the influent American and less influent
European library associations do not work at a code of ethics
for the release of information so that libraries would know
what they are actually buying when they pay for a subscription ?

In other words, is it acceptable to bill 5 volumes a year
and 2 or 3 volumes more the year after when the librarian
may easily count that the number of pages per volume is
the same or lower ? It happens sometimes.
And what about that other old innovation of publishers to
deliver volume n, 1-4, complete in one issue ? Initially
it was to cover meetings but now it happens more and more often
and without a justification.

Librarians are consumers and consumers have rights other than
to pay.

Simone JEROME, Librarian
University of Liege
Institute of chemistry B6
4000 Sart Tilman (Liege 1)
BELGIUM

email address : sjerome@ulg.ac.be