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RE: Science Online 

We asked for and received an informal quote. The additional price,
would be ofver 300% extra beyond what we are paying for print of the 4
journals. Furthermore, it wouldn't be pdf files, but just html text with
the usual unsatisfactory html inline illustrations--only the individual
subscribers get the pdf. 

Although I am on friendly terms with the publishers, I think, and have
told them so very clearly, that they are being completely unrealistic in
terms of the library market and needs.  It is particularly unfortunate
that the publisher of such absolutely first-rate and critically important
publications adopts such an unreasonable policy. 

(If it isn't obvious, this library will most certainly not participate on
these terms.) 

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

On Fri, 16 Jan 1998, Shipley, Michele wrote:

> Just this week we have run into a similar situation with Cell Press.
> They will offer site licenses to institutions but I suspect the price of
> the site license will make it difficult for libraries to obtain.  They
> clearly are interested in protecting their individual subscriptions and
> are offering access to online versions free with all individual
> subscriptions to the print journals.  We are presently waiting for a
> price quote for a site license for their 4 journals.
> 
> ********
> 
> 
> Our journals, Cell, Molecular Cell, Immunity, and Neuron, are different
> from most of the journals for which you are obtaining site licenses. At
> the majority of institutions we have substantial numbers of individual
> subscribers and in this situation the most common model for site licensing
> electronic journals - setting a price based upon some percentage of the
> print subscription - does not work. 
> 
> The price of journal subscriptions tends to be inversely proportional to
> the size of their audience - journals costing many thousands of dollars
> have a relatively narrow readership. The consequence of this relationship
> between price and usage is that Cell Press, with high numbers of
> individual subscribers for all its journals, is able to offer the print
> journals at a low price, both to individuals and to institutions. In
> effect, institutions benefit from the journals having a large number of
> individual subscribers. 
> 
> Institutional access to electronic journals presents a different model
> from print subscriptions. With a print subscription, only one reader can
> access the information at a time and from one location, whereas the
> electronic journal allows simultaneous access from many readers from
> multiple locations. A site license to Cell Press+ electronic journals
> allows you to offer your institution+s scientists a premium service -
> desktop access to the full text of journals with the highest impact factor
> in their respective fields. This access will be widely and consistently
> used, and a direct relationship between price and usage more truly
> reflects its value. 
> 
> We have, therefore, decided to base our pricing model on potential usage. 
> The cost of a site license will depend on the installed base of readers,
> the size of the institution, the number of machines on which access is to
> be made available, dial-in access capability, and the number of distinct
> sites. We will consider granting site licenses to sites behind firewalls
> or proxy servers that mask the number of machines on receipt of a written
> description of an institution+s network infrastructure. For large
> institutions, the price for a site license is likely to be a multiple
> rather than a fraction of the price of the print subscription. 
> 
> A site license will grant access to all of our journals and will include a
> print copy of each journal (with credit given for existing print
> subscriptions). Our site offers integrated searching across journals with
> inter-journal links, an invaluable capability for general library usage. 
> For smaller libraries serving a specialized clientele, we will discuss
> providing online service to a single journal, although there will be no
> benefit from the built-in discount for licensing the complete site. 
> 
> Access will be from specified IP addresses, and will not require user
> names or passwords. Users will have unlimited access to view and print the
> full text of articles (subject to fair use restrictions) from January 1996
> through the current issue in our advanced HTML format with intra- and
> inter-article navigation. PDF files are not available to institutional
> subscribers and there is no physical archive provided with the site
> license agreement. Initial licensing will be for a period of one year and
> will start on receipt of payment of the site licensing fee and a signed
> copy of our site license agreement. 
> 
> We realize that Cell Press+ approach represents a departure from the
> current practice of licensing journals and appreciate your willingness to
> work with us to find a solution for your institution. 
> 
> ***********************
> 
> Michele Shipley
> Collection Development Librarian
> EG Miner Library
> University of Rochester Medical Center
> mshi@miner.rochester.edu
> 716-275-6878
> 
>  ----------
> From: William S. Monroe
> To: liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu
> Subject: Science Online
> Date: Thursday, January 15, 1998 6:21PM
> 
>     We would like to know what other libraries are doing about
> subscription to Science Online (i.e., the electronic version of
> _Science_).   We, at Brown, are not happy about the method
> the AAAS has devised for handling this, yet it is certainly a
> title in demand.   I do not remember whether this has been discussed
> before on the List, but here are some of the details about the
> subscription, from the AAAS website:
> 
> ******
> 
>     1.Access to Science Online must be purchased by individual computer
> workstation and registered by IP address. The minimum order for
> any library that does not have a print subscription to Science is 10
> workstations. There is no minimum order requirement for libraries that
> maintain a print subscription to Science. For current print subscribers,
> please include 8-digit AAAS number as used for Science or Science
> mailing
> label with your order.
> 
>     2.All computer workstations that access Science Online MUST be located
> in a library. Access outside the library is only available through
> individual AAAS membership. Violation of this requirement may result in
> termination of all subscriber online access.  .... 
> 
>     5.Science Online subscriptions allow access to the full text database
> of all Science issues published on the Web over the course of a period of
> 51 weeks (a one year subscription). There is no physical archive provided
> with this subscrption. Online subscribers are encouraged to purchase a
> print subscription for archiving purposes. 
> 
>     6.After the order has been processed by AAAS, the library subscription
> administrator must activate the online subscription. The librarian will
> select a user name and password (for administrative purposes only), list
> the IP address for each authorized workstation and sign off on the License
> Agreement for Library Subscriptions to Science Online.  .... 
> 
>     8.Libraries with computer systems behind a firewall or on a proxy
> server, or those with no permanent IP internet address (i.e. dial-in
> internet service) should contact AAAS Customer Service to discuss
> alternate arrangements for online access: 202-326-6417.  *****
> 
>      AAAS is clearly concerned about losing subscriptions if they
> provice wider access to the electronic version.  Yet this is not
> the direction we are moving with other products.   What are others
> doing about this?   Comments?
> 
>  --WSM
> 
> 
> *******************************************************
> William S. Monroe			* William_Monroe@Brown.edu
> Head, Collection Development		* Phone: (401) 863-2406
> Brown University Library		* Fax:     (401) 863-2753
> Box I
> Providence, RI  02912-9109
> *******************************************************


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