Re: NEJM

["Anthony Watkinson" <anthony.watkinson@btinternet.com>]

I am not defending the NEJM approach and I do agree very much with the
suggestion of David Goodman that a campaign of complaining is very
sensible. Publishers and librarians both gain if librarians complain about
arrangements that are unworkable.

However I do want to bring up (again) what I imagine is the perceived
problem for NEJM and other journals with a large individual subscription
base. How do they avoid losing these subscribers if they adopt a policy of
general electronic access to the patrons of a licensed library?  It is
interesting that, as usual, non-profits behave much the same way as
commercial publishers, though perhaps they tend to be rather more
restrictive.

This may not seem important to librarians but it is very important to the
publishers of such journals, not just because of the financial loss but
also because of the atttitude of advertisers. At least it is my
understanding that advertisers understand circulation figures but do not
understand projections of potential access especially as it is electronic.
How are the ads handled in the electronic versions? I may be on weak
ground here. It is not an area in which I have personal experience.

My question to the list - does anyone know of any evidence pointing either
the retention or the loss of personal subscribers where journals/magazines
of this type have gone for a general access license policy. I am told that
the British Medical Journal, which is free online and is therefore in a
rather different category, has lost personal subscribers but I have
challenged them before to give information on this point and they have not
replied. I know of no other evidence, even potential evidence.

I know some librarians have posted on this list to say that no personal
subscribers will be lost but they have given no evidence for this
assertion. Maybe however they have evidence they could share with us.

Anthony Watkinson
14, Park Street,
Bladon
Woodstock
Oxfordshire
England OX20 1RW
phone +44 1993 811561 and fax +44 1993  810067


----- Original Message -----
From: Elizabeth Lorbeer <ELorbeer@rushu.rush.edu>
To: <liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu>
Sent: Friday, August 24, 2001 11:40 PM
Subject: NEJM


> Friday, August 24, 2001
>
> How is your institution handling the change in online access to the New
> England Journal of Medicine.  To ONLY be able to access the journal online
> from 5 workstations on our campus is outrageous!  There is no site
> license, and the publisher's remedy is to purchase more individual
> subscriptions. Has anyone spoken to the publisher?
>
> Thank you,
>
> Elizabeth Lorbeer, Ed.M., MLS
> Collection Development Manager
> Rush University
> Rush Presbyterian St Luke's Medical Center, Chicago Illinois
> elorbeer@rushu.rush.edu <mailto:elorbeer@rushu.rush.edu>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nejm@MASSMED.ORG <mailto:nejm@MASSMED.ORG>
> [SMTP:nejm@MASSMED.ORG] <mailto:[SMTP:nejm@MASSMED.ORG]>
> Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2001 2:48 PM
> To: NEJMINST-L@LISTSERV.MASSMED.ORG
> Subject: Important Notice to NEJM Institutional Subscription
> Administrators
>
> To: NEJM INSTITUTIONAL SUBSCRIPTION ADMINISTRATORS
>
> Please save for future reference
>
> Changes to Online Access Effective October 1, 2001 For The New England
> Journal of Medicine Online
>
> August 2001
>
> Dear Administrator:
>
> As you may be aware, The New England Journal of Medicine recently moved
> its Internet service, NEJM Online (www.nejm.org) <http://www.nejm.org)> ,
> to a new platform at HighWire Press.
>
> Now that NEJM Online is fully established at HighWire, we are changing our
> institutional subscriber service as well as adding reporting functions.
> Please read this notice of important changes to your online access method.
>
> ----------------------------------------
>
> YOUR CURRENT ACCESS:
>
> Users at your institution now access NEJM Online by means of a single
> username and password (single concurrent user) that your institution
> controls. A second username and password has also been granted to you as
> account administrator.
>
> NEW ACCESS METHOD FOR USERS AFTER October 1, 2001:
>
> After October 1, online access for users at institutions subscribing to
> NEJM in print will be controlled by IP address.
>
> Institutional On-Site Workstation Access - at no extra cost.
>
> For each NEJM institutional print subscription held by your institution,
> you may register up to five (5) specific on-site workstations for IP-based
> access at no additional cost.

[SNIP]