From: Eric Elmore <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tue, 2 Jul 2019 16:39:54 +0000
You're right Anthony, I don't have any special evidence to support my
position. Do you have any to support the belief that libraries actively
use Sci-Hub as a means to support journal cancellations? I’ve been in the
field for over 20 years, gone to countless conferences, read uncountable
list-serv posts and have yet to see or hear any librarian say they rely on
and intend to cancel journals based on either of those sites. Possibly I
missed that session or thread, but I honestly don’t believe so. I think a
session on that would be fairly well attended just to hear what someone had
to say and how they could justify taking that position. No, the sessions I
have seen and attended that mentioned Sci-Hub were always about how to stop
that site from downloading articles from our campus networks. That seems a
VERY strange session to have when libraries are actively using Sci-hub as a
budget relief option.
No, the argument libraries rely on those sites seems more like someone is
scrambling to understand how universities could cancel their contracts with
them. I think the publishing industry find themselves in a situation where
the industry they rely on is seriously considering ways to walk away from
them completely and are looking for any reason that makes sense. The
publishing industry seems to have completely forgotten that they are a
service industry to academia, not the other way around. Academia is not
there to service the financial needs of the publishing industry. The
publishing industry is there to package the content academia produces and
then to distribute it back out to other academics.
A better question would be why some publishers refuse to see the writing on
the wall when every year libraries publish annual reports and articles
saying “library budgets continue to shrink” and “publisher prices continue
to go up” for 30+ years. If you’re looking for the reasons the current run
of library cancellations are happening just look at the base economics.
30% profit margins and average annual 7% price increases. Strawmen
arguments are not going to change the base economic reality. Librarians
have literally been warning publishers FOR YEARS that the situation was
unsustainable.
From: Anthony Watkinson <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2019 07:55:29 +0100
I am fascinated by Eric’s assurance. Is this based on any special evidence
which he can produce? He may well have done a study on how publishers think
which is not known to me and which I cannot detect.
Anthony
From: Eric Elmore <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thu, 27 Jun 2019 17:07:19 +0000
I think a more accurate way of understanding this statement is that
it's in the back of the mind of every Publisher, rather than in the
minds of the Librarians. Librarians are interested in getting the
most content and value for our dwindling budgets in an ethical manner.
Not an easy or simple task. Publishers, on the other hand, are
concerned with extracting every penny, ruble, shekel, pence, yuan,
yen, and/or ounce of blood they can from anyone who wants to use the
content they "publish".
It's Capitalism 101. Once you understand the frame of mind someone
who works for a publisher, of course they think libraries are
leveraging a free resource such as SciHub. Because that's exactly
what they would do if they were in the libraries position. When the
only objective is the endless acquisition of money silly little things
like whether or not a resource is legal or ethical no longer have
relevance.
-----Original Message-----
From: "Maziar, Lucy (EDU)" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2019 18:49:26 +0000
It has certainly never been in the background on any negotiations with
vendors that I have been involved in. My negotiations have always
about rising costs, static or reduced budgets, and the value of the
resource to my community along with license terms, customer service,
ease of use, etc. Sci Hub and ResearchGate are never in my mind. I
also would like to see the data that supports that statement that they
are in the background of every library negotiation with publishers.
Best,
Lucy
Lucia Maziar
Library Director
US Coast Guard Academy
Library (DL)
35 Mohegan Ave
New London CT 06320
860.444.8517
[log in to unmask]
*[SNIP]*
|