RE: Electronic only articles & access for libraries

["David Goodman" <David.Goodman@liu.edu>]

This is a matter not just affecting medical journals. One will find
well-documented cases in the archives of this list, of many publishers who
have done this, or at least tried to, for many years. There is an even
more disruptive variant, of publishers who deny the e-content to
institutional subscribers, regardless of payment. And there is the even
more disruptive instance of material not available to institutional
subscribers at all.

I mention one recently noticed example: American Scientist is available
electronically only to members of Sigma Xi. They presumably have this
policy to retain membership.  I was once a member, but have lapsed, Now
that I have seen this policy, I will not resume. I do not join ostensibly
scientific organizations who run their affairs so as to impair scientific
communication.

This practice, in any of its variants, is a perversion of the very concept
of publication. We are not here talking about open access--we are talking
about access, in the most fundamental sense. Most libraries keep track of
individual members in their organization, as a way around this. It's a
necessary trick to evade a disgraceful situation.

Joy, would you please copy my reply to the Medlib list. 

Dr. David Goodman
Associate Professor
Palmer School of Library and Information Science
Long Island University
dgoodman@liu.edu

Executive Committee, COUNTER
(formerly, Princeton Univ. Library)

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From: Medical Libraries Discussion List
On Behalf Of Kennedy, Joy
Sent: Monday, July 19, 2004 8:54 AM
To: MEDLIB-L@LISTSERV.BUFFALO.EDU
Subject: Electronic only articles & access for libraries

Has anyone been compiling a list of healthcare journals offering
electronic only articles of journals and whether or not they allow access
to institutional subscribers without additional payment? I'm interested in
just where this trend of electronic only journals is going and what its
impact might be on interlibrary loan.  Is anyone working on this
information? If not, it would certainly make a great study or presentation
I'd certainly like to read or hear.  I'm particularly interested in
journals that are indexed in Medline or CINAHL.  If any of you belong to
other listservs and want to post my query to them, I have no objection.

Joy Kennedy, MLS
j1kennedy@nch.org
Northwest Community Healthcare
Health Resource Library
800 W. Central Rd.
Arlington Heights,IL  60005-2392
Phone: (847) 618-5180
Fax: (847) 618-5189