Re: Nature Journals: User Name and Password (Super ID Access)

[Ann Okerson <aokerson@pantheon.yale.edu>]

Jeri Van Goethem writes:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
To: liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu
Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2000 17:01:35 -0400
Subject: Re: Nature Journals: User Name and Password (Super ID Access)

The pricing for site license for Nature seems somewhat lacking in forward
thinking marketing strategy.  I received the following in response to my
inquiry for site license costs:  Would anyone even know how to calculate
this?

	Our pricing is not based on FTEs, it is based on the number of 
	Students, Faculty, and Researchers (SFR) at your institution.
	Counting all students full-time and part-time graduate and
	undergraduate students; Faculty members full-time, part-time or
	volunteer; and all Researchers full-time, part-time or volunteer.
	So, who/how many would use the product?

	SFR minimum pricing for an 11,000 SFR rate is $5300.

	I am not working with any consortia right now, but in the future 
	I will, when I do not know.

	Donna Muscatello
	Library Relations Manager
	Nature America Inc.
	345 Park Avenue South
	New York, New York 10010
	Ph: 212-726-9227
	Fax: 212-696-9591
	email: d.muscatello@natureny.com
------------------------------------------------------------------

Jeri VanGoethem
Head, Acquisitions/Serials Dept.
  and
Electronic Resources Librarian
Duke University Library
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

David Goodman wrote to liblicense-l:

Subject: Re: Nature Journals: User Name and Password (Super ID Access)

A year ago, the publishers of Nature attempted to offer a library license
which permitted institutional electronic access to only the research
articles in the the second part of the journal, but not to the news and
review coverage in the first half.

Nature is a weekly journal; its importance is not only due to the
excellence of the primary scholarly scientific articles it publishes, but
the extraordinary quality of the commentary and news coverage. This part
of Nature is the unique attribute of the journal, and is what most
scientists would consider the measure of scientific literacy. The
pertinence and depth of Nature's content is the reason why people read the
journal. As one could expect, the attempt to provide libraries with paid
electronic access to Nature except for its unique and most valuable part
did not meet with success, and I think that essentially no library
subscribed.

This year the publishers are offering libraries what they appear to
consider a more liberal version. It does provide access to the news and
commentaries, but only after a three month delay. News articles are not
improved by a three month delay, and the publishers seem to have a naive
faith in the unwillingness of libraries to examine what they buy.

Personal subscriptions to the journal include the full electronic content.
Presumably the motive of the publisher are an unwillingness to risk a
decrease in individual subscriptions. I have spoken to a number of
individuals who have personal subscriptions; they all subscribe because of
the desirability of receiving their own print copy of this excellent
journal, even though the library also receives it in print, and would
continue to subscribe even though the library also receives the entire
journal electronically. This I believe, has been the experience of other
publications.

This university library has never paid for a subscription to part of a
journal in electronic form when the whole journal was available in print.
Neither has it ever paid for a subscription to the electronic version of a
publication where the appearance of the electronic content was delayed
behind the print, nor where the material the library received was less
than what personal subscribers received.  Why would we? The advantages of
an electronic journal is the more rapid delivery and campus-wide
availability of the content.  Our selectors have considered this offer,
and regard the nature of this offer as reinforcing our commitment to our
present policy. We most certainly will not subscribe. We cannot imagine
why any library would.

This posting represents my personal interpretation, except that the
decision not to subscribe, and the reasons for it, are shared unanimously
by all the relevant selectors here. 

[SNIP]

--
Dr. David Goodman
Biology Librarian, and
Co-Chair, Electronic Journals Task Force
Princeton University Library
dgoodman@princeton.edu         http://www.princeton.edu/~biolib/
phone: 609-258-3235            fax: 609-258-2627