(Fwd) Re: Some background information on agreement UKB & Elsev

["Martin Cohen" <Cohen@library.mcgill.ca>]

My sense is that Elsevier is seen in the Netherlands as "an institution
deserving continuing national support" in much the same way as the British
Government of the time recognized the Beatles by giving them the Queen's
Award to Industry.  As long as Elsevier exists, the Netherlands are on the
international publishing map - so they've got to be kept going.

If any publisher had primacy in any other country in the same way, sure,
they would be entitled to the same kind of support as Elsevier.  What we
do outside the country in question in terms of subscribing/not subscribing
is our concern.  That's nothing to do with justification.

____

Date sent:      	Tue, 25 Jul 2000 21:46:03 -0400 (EDT)
From:           	David Goodman <dgoodman@Princeton.EDU>
Subject:        	Re: Some background information on agreement UKB & Elsevier Science
To:             	liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu
Send reply to:  	liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu

> I can understand how in the Netherlands Elsevier is seen as an institution
> deserving continuing national support. I am not sure that other countries
> could think it justifiable to commit themselves on a national basis to
> guaranteeing the existence of any particular commercial publisher.  This
> does not mean that I think it necessarily irrational for an individual
> institution to subscribe to Elsevier titles, some of which are excellent.
> 
> David Goodman
> Biology Librarian, and
> Co-Chair, Electronic Journals Task Force
> Princeton University Library
> dgoodman@princeton.edu         http://www.princeton.edu/~biolib/
> phone: 609-258-3235            fax: 609-258-2627
> 
> _________________
> 
>Azim Koning (UBA) wrote:
> 
>Amsterdam, 27 June 2000
> 
>BACKGROUND INFORMATION
> 
>Agreement between academic libraries in the Netherlands and Elsevier
>Science
> 
>Last year, the academic libraries in the Netherlands, associated in UKB
>(all University Libraries, the Royal Library, and the library of the Royal
>Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences) took up a position in the debate
>on developments referring scientific information. One of its important
>elements focused on the price increases of scientific journals, another
>element on the gradual though rapid transition into digital information.
> 
> ...