From: "Friend, Fred" <[log in to unmask]> Date: Fri, 2 Aug 2013 10:26:44 +0000 Yes, many societies have taken this apparently easy route of signing over their journals to the big commercial publishers. The problem is that what appears an easy solution for the society makes life more difficult for the rest of the world-wide research community, in the form of higher journal prices and possibly more restricted re-use rights. Also even if handing over their journal to Elsevier seemed the only viable solution at the time, it is no longer so, as the advent of free publishing software and research -friendly open access publishers has provided societies with an alternative, enabling them to keep control of the journal's future. Any society negotiating with a commercial publisher should remember that the prime aim for the commercial publisher is higher profit and not the society's well-being. "Caveat emptor" of publishing services. Fred Friend Honorary Director Scholarly Communication UCL ________________________________________ From: "Jones, Doug" <[log in to unmask]> Date: Thu, 1 Aug 2013 00:29:16 +0000 David--thanks for this example. It would be interesting to know the terms and expectations to which the National Kidney Foundation agreed when they (apparently) decided to sign over rights to the journal. I'm not familiar with this particular case, so please clarify as appropriate. Many societies/foundations have decided to get out of a non-core, high-capital-investment operation (publishing) with the understanding that a professional publisher provides more resources/options for both authors and readers AND (with a commercial publisher) they may be guaranteed annual payments plus future increases. Doug Douglas Jones Senior Assistant to the Dean University of Arizona Libraries Tucson, AZ 85721 [log in to unmask] -----Original Message----- From: "Osterbur, David L." <[log in to unmask]> Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2013 09:28:58 -0400 Elsevier is an appropriate comparison. Look at the price of American Journal of Kidney Disease from 2008 to 2009. Elsevier took over publication that year from the National Kidney Foundation. Our price for the journal increased 450%. David L. Osterbur, Ph.D. Director of Access and Public Services Countway Library of Medicine Harvard Medical School Boston, MA 02115 [log in to unmask]