Press Release: Kluwer Academic Publishers offer to NESLI for 2000

[Ann Okerson <aokerson@pantheon.yale.edu>]

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PRESS RELEASE

January 2000

KLUWER ACADEMIC PUBLISHERS OFFERS ELECTRONIC JOURNALS TO NESLI IN 2000

Following several months of negotiation with Kluwer Academic 
Publishers, the Managing Agent for NESLI (the National Electronic 
Site Licence Initiative) is delighted to confirm a unique agreement 
to provide UK universities with access to all electronic journals 
published by Kluwer. 

Following a free trial in 1999, Kluwer is offering a 2 year agreement 
from January 2000 onwards. The nature of this proposal presents UK 
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with the option to purchase 
access to all titles available in Kluwer's electronic journal 
service, Kluwer Online, for a percentage surcharge on print 
expenditure. In 2001, libraries will be able to cancel all of their 
print subscriptions in favour of electronic-only access, with the 
option to purchase print copies at a deep discount. 

Jan Hattink, Director of Library Relations at Kluwer, said: "In this 
transition phase from print to electronic, Kluwer Academic Publishers 
is delighted to have reached an agreement with NESLI. This initiative 
presents libraries with a unique opportunity to offer their patrons 
access to the contents of a vast collection of over 600 journals in a 
cost-effective way. We are looking forward to working with the UK 
library community and the Managing Agent in the successful 
implementation of this agreement."

Albert Prior, Publisher Relations Manager for Electronic Services at 
Swets, commented on behalf of the NESLI Managing Agent: "We are very 
pleased to have concluded this agreement with Kluwer, who have been 
highly cooperative in developing a proposal for the benefit of UK 
universities. The broad array of titles from Kluwer join the 
extensive collection of e-journals from other major STM publishers 
that are now available under the NESLI initiative". 

Kluwer's journals can be accessed via the NESLI/SwetsNet interface or 
direct to Kluwer Online. With the imminent addition of Kluwer Law, 
Plenum and Human Sciences Press titles to Kluwer's portfolio, over 
600 journals will be available in 2000. Details of Kluwer Online and 
all the journals now available in the service can be found at:

www.wkap.nl/kaphtml.htm/ONLINEJOURNALS

Licensing arrangements are covered by the NESLI Model Licence which 
has been adopted by Kluwer for this agreement, and which the Managing 
Agent will administer on behalf of the libraries.
 
Subscribers will be able to use the ATHENS system for user 
authentication. ATHENS allows each member of an HEI to have one 
username and password for access to all the electronic resources to 
which their institution has arranged access. It has been developed by 
NISS (National Information Services and Systems) with the support of 
JISC (the UK Joint Information Systems Committee) and Sybase Inc.

The National Electronic Site Licence Initiative is a three year 
initiative sponsored by JISC. It aims to address existing licensing, 
financial and technical barriers to the widespread take-up of 
electronic journals. Five publishers participated in NESLI in 1999. 
All have either made new offers for 2000, or their 1999 offers were 
'multi-year' and so extend into this year. A further five publishers 
have made proposals to NESLI for 2000, including Kluwer Academic 
Publishers. It is anticipated that the number of journals licensed 
under NESLI in 2000 will be approximately 2,500. 

Further information about the NESLI initiative can be found at the 
home page:

http://www.nesli.ac.uk

For more information about Kluwer and Kluwer Online please go to: 

http://www.wkap.nl


Alison Murphy
For the NESLI Managing Agent

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Alison Murphy
NESLI Helpdesk            |  Tel: +44 (0)161 275 7919
Manchester Computing      |  Fax: +44 (0)161 275 6040
University of Manchester  |  Email: help@nesli.ac.uk
Oxford Road
Manchester   M13 9PL
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