From: Kerry Velilla <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Mon, 25 Jun 2012 13:03:21 -0500
Thank you to everyone who provided feedback to my questions about why
institutions still subscribe to print. I received a few responses via
private message. For the sake of others that are interested in this
topic, I have summarized the responses I received below, along with
links to various resources that were recommended to me for further
review.
1. Why do institutions still subscribe to print? Is it only when print
is a less-expensive alternative? Are there taxes or other levies that
make online-only subscriptions less appealing? For archival reasons,
would an institution subscribing to print be more likely to drop print
if the publisher participated in Portico or CLOCKSS?
Various answers were provided including: No electronic edition, IP
authentication not available, a license is required, there is a
moving window of years available online, if there are differences
between the print and online editions or if performance of online
platform is unreliable, if perpetual access is not included, if a
physical copy is preferred by researchers or required for audit
purposes, or the cost is too high. One multi-campus institution noted
that if there are extra fees for multi-campus print and online access
then they will maintain one print subscription at one campus. One
corporate librarian noted that they may require print for archival
purposes to view drug advertisements that do not appear online. Only
one response mentioned that the VAT is lower for print than online.
2. Does your institution retain any print subscriptions to journals
that have an online subscription available? If your institution
retains any print subscriptions, do you also subscribe to the online
version?
Most of the responses indicated that they would not retain print if
online is available. Exceptions included if online was only offered as
a bundle with print, if their scientists edit or publish frequently in
a specific journal, or if perpetual access is not available.
3. If you were unable to subscribe to print only but instead had to
subscribe to online in order to also subscribe to print, would you
just subscribe online only or subscribe to online and print? What kind
of price differential would make the difference for you?
In most cases online only would be preferred. Again, exceptions were
if users required print, if perpetual access were not available, or
one international response noted that some international institutions
do not have adequate infrastructure to move to e-only and they would
still require print. Only one response included an estimate of price
differential and that was at least 10% off the print + online rate.
4. If print were no longer available, would you renew your
institution's print subscription as online only? Would you expect a
certain price break? Or does your institution require a print copy
regardless of online availability?
Most would still prefer online, with the exceptions outlined above.
One responded that they would not expect a price break, while another
respondent would expect a price break. The international response
indicated that of those institutions with inadequate infrastructure,
75% would not continue to subscribe.
Other recommended links:
NISO SERU
http://www.niso.org/workrooms/seru
"What to Withdraw: Print Collections Management in the Wake of Digitization"
http://www.sr.ithaka.org/research-publications/what-withdraw-print-collections-management-wake-digitization
"The E-only Tipping Point for Journals: What's Ahead in the
Print-to-Electronic Transition Zone"
http://www.arl.org/bm~doc/Electronic_Transition.pdf
"Are Journal Publishers Trapped in the Dual-Media Transition Zone?"
http://www.arl.org/bm~doc/arl-br-257-journals.pdf
Duke University Libraries: Perkins Library System E-Only Journal
Exceptions Policy
http://library.duke.edu/about/collections/eonly.html
"Report on 2011 PSP Annual Conference. Digital or Die; Inventing Our Future"
http://www.pspcentral.org/documents/PSPWinter-Spring2011.pdf
Best wishes,
Kerry
Kerry Velilla | Associate
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