Tempestuous Arguments

[Ann Okerson <ann.okerson@yale.edu>]

This message is in reply to Mr. Sampson's inquiry about Mr. Krumenaker's
data.  Ann Okerson

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2001 16:46:48 -0400
From: Larry Krumenaker <larrykga@mindspring.com>
To: ann.okerson@yale.edu
Subject: Tempestuous Arguments

Dear Ms. Okerson,

I am the author of the Searcher article "A Tempest in a Librarian's
Teapot."  I've been forwarded some of the comments raised on your listserv
concerning my article.  As I'm not on your listserv, perhaps you can post
my response to your membership.  Some of the stated comments are opinions
to which one can argue without resolution but some comments are not
correct at all.

In particular, the comments of Mr. Sampson are offbase.  He wonders why he
gets 50% embargoed while I get 18%.  The answer is simple.  He is making a
comparison to one specific subset of EBSCO's product line.  I am using the
entire full text inventory regardless of which subset products the
publications are found in.  The comparison he uses isn't apples versus
oranges.  It's apples versus the entire produce stand.

The information that went into the article was provided by all three
companies.  Their title lists for the article are no different than the
files I regularly receive for my Net.Journal Directory/Net.Journal Finder
products so I don't see any obvious deception or conspiracy to provide
misleading information by any of the sources.  I cheerfully stand by my
analysis even if some of the parties are less than pleased with the
results (No! I won't discuss the privately received letters from EBSCO or
ProQuest...really, I won't....even if you or they--OW!--twist my
arm......!).

Sincerely,

Larry Krumenaker
**Publisher, Hermograph Press
***Editor, "Net.Journal Directory, The Catalog of Full Text Periodicals
Archived on the World Wide Web"  ISBN 1-930876-02-5 (9th Edition, July
2001) ISSN 1092-5279
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
www.hermograph.com
Tel: 678-445-4189
publisher@hermograph.com
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-


-----Original Message-----
From:William Sampson [mailto:William.Sampson@galegroup.com]
Sent: Monday, July 23, 2001 6:50 PM
To: liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu
Subject:  RE: Two articles on aggregator exclusivity deals and embargoes

Mr. Krumenaker's conclusion in "A Tempest in a Librarian's Teapot" that
Ebsco's full-text embargo rate is 18% appears to be at odds with studies
posted earlier on this list-serv.

The following breakdown is taken directly from Ebsco's full-text title list
for Search Premier dated May 2001:

Total Full-Text Articles - 3,175
Titles with 3 month embargoes - 145
Titles with 4 month embargoes - 3
Titles with 6 month embargoes - 219
Titles with 9 month embargoes - 5
Titles with 12 month embargoes - 1,211
Titles with 18 month embargoes - 16
Titles with 24 month embargoes - 6
Titles with 36 month embargoes - 2
Total titles with embargoes 3 months or longer - 1,607
Percentage of titles with embargoes 3 months or longer - 50.6%

I would be interested in learning how Mr. Krumenaker arrived at his
conclusions. 

William A. Sampson
The Gale Group
Copyright & Licesning
800-877-4253 x8900