From: Joseph Esposito <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:33:39 -0700

In my experience, there can be a great deal of tension over these
issues.  Some societies are eager to increase their revenue and look
to commercial organizations as a way of doing that.  In effect, the
societies finance their own operations through the income earned from
sales to libraries, which may be conducted by a third-party.  There is
a clear secular trend for society journals, for example, to end their
association with university presses and make an arrangement with a
larger entity that guarantees significant income.

Joe Esposito


On Thu, Apr 26, 2012 at 1:59 PM, LIBLICENSE <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> From: Sandy Thatcher <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:46:49 -0500
>
> It does seem odd that societies would outsource their journal
> publishing to large commercial publishers because they can be assured
> in advance (1) that the prices will go way up,  (2) fewer individuals
> will be able to afford to subscribe to them, and (3) any profits made
> will not redound to the benefit of academic research since they will
> go to pay shareholders or be used to grow the size of the company
> further so as to  increase its market share.  Why do scholars complain
> about commercial journal practices and then turn around and allow
> their societies to help those companies profit even further at the
> expense of academe?
>
> Sandy Thatcher
>
>
> At 12:31 PM -0700 4/25/12, Heather Morrison wrote:
>
> > Interesting post and article by Matthew Thibeault:
> > http://matthewthibeault.com/2012/04/16/the-politics-of-journal-publishing/
> >
> > For-profit journals in this area charge 250% more than non-for-profits. Why? Because they can!
> >
> > Heather G. Morrison