Re: NEJM

[David Goodman <dgoodman@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>]

In a recent message from NEJM, they announced the alternative of password
access, with apparently one password per institutional subscription. This
has the advantage of at least being technically feasible.

It obviously still has some problems: 

1. the access is intended for occasional users, and, according to their
announcement, not for regular users. What they mean by this or how they
intend to enforce it is not clear to me.

2. they are continuing to insist that it is not a site license, nor do
they intend to give one. This is of course the exact opposite of the way
they should be thinking.

3. there is apparently a total lack of realization that the purpose of a
journal is to disseminate information, and the authors who publish there
do so not just to have the NEJM's recognition of the reliability of the
article, but also the NEJM's wide readership. They may not be aware of
their journal's large audience and great importance outside of the
specifically medical community.
 
The best step is to continue to explain this to them. I think the probably
do want to do it right, but need a good deal of help in figuring out what
that means. We need to tell them what we expect. I think they do listen to
librarians.

The selectors involved at Princeton have decided not to post a warning
note at this time.

David Goodman, Princeton University Biology Library				
dgoodman @princeton.edu            609-258-3235