RE: Who is the subscriber

["Beth Jacoby" <bjacoby@hshsl.umaryland.edu>]

I feel I must rebut Mr. Carlson's response to my opinion concerning the
IDEAL pricing model.

> I find myself in the odd position of siding (at least a bit...) with
> Academic Press regarding IDEAL pricing and disagreeing with Ms. Jacoby of
> the Univ. of Maryland in her comments. First, a disclaimer -- my library
> was an early subscriber to AP IDEAL (and our subscription continues).
> Ms. Jacoby maintains that it is grossly unfair to base pricing on
> subscriptions sent to departmental libraries. It seems to me this is a
> "short-sighted criticism." 

Health sciences libraries are typically heavy Academic Press print users
due to the subjects involved.  Based on our print subscriptions over the
past three years, my library would pay close to $10,000 just to access
CURRENT year AP journals online, no backfiles.  I don't know about your
budget, but mine hasn't had an infusion of that kind of money in recent
memory, which prevents us from providing online access to any of the AP
journals.

> It is important to understand the Academic
> Press pricing model. In summary, AP bases its price on the basis of a
> three-year pattern of print subscriptions to their journals. That price
> then sets the price for the IDEAL platform. Given that IDEAL then provides
> campus-wide access to those journals, I find the publisher's logic fairly
> unassailable for including departmental print subscriptions. While we can
> argue about the readiness or willingness of a department (or library) to
> replace the print with the online, the campus-wide appearance of the
> online full text is clearly an opportunity to do so for those departments.

I certainly understand the pricing model.  What I object to is the large
amount of extra money we would have to pay for online access on top of
what we're already paying for the print subscriptions.  When you take the
large sum required to subscribe, then make the library responsible for all
the print subscriptions on campus outside the library, the money required
for online access becomes even more onerous.  The pricing model eliminates
many libraries from the possibility of providing online access to AP
journals.  This is truly unfortunate.

> I agree, certainly, that the library finds itself in a bad place. It is
> having to bear an increased cost of the online for the decisions of other
> departments over which it had no control whatsoever (indeed, it may even
> "resent" those subscriptions); but I can understand the publisher's
> logic... What is an alternative? A limitation to library building only
> access might be an appropriate solution but it's surely not a solution the
> library finds attractive either, I would think.

Limiting online access to the library building defeats the most attractive
aspect of online journals, which is access from remote offices and other
authorized sites.  I understand WHY the publisher has its current pricing
model:  they don't want to lose any of their current revenue.  That
doesn't mean I should agree with it.

>For my moderately-sized library which did not have a
> significant investment in the AP print titles, the model was very
> attractive. However, I find it really strange to base a cost for the
> online at a particular point in time based on historical trends. The price
> is then set and while it may have a certain logic at that point in time,
> it is not at all clear to me how one then addressees changes in the
> pricing that come about either in the institution's character (size,
> programs, etc.) or the offerings/value of the publisher?

You seem to be contradicting your earlier assertion that the IDEAL pricing
model is reasonable.  I think the key here is that your library did not
have a significant investment in AP print titles, while my library does.  
I agree with another recent LIBLiCENSE-L commentator that the publisher
could maintain its revenue by lowering the price for online access,
thereby opening up the market to many other libraries which simply cannot
afford it now.  This seems to me the way to go.

Respectfully,

Beth Jacoby
Head of Acquisitions/Serials
Health Sciences and Human Services Library
University of Maryland
601 W. Lombard St.
Baltimore, MD  21201-1512
Phone: 410-706-8856    
Fax: 410-706-8860