Re: AP/Harcourt's Third World Model

[Guy Dresser <gdresser@allenpress.com>]

I wonder how much AP/Harcourt is going to charge for this? One could be
cynical and suggest that rather than this being a completely altruistic
move on their part, it actually could represent an incremental source of
income, assuming that a) most or all of these countries could not afford
to subscribe at the usual prices, and b) it costs very little to fulfill
additional subscriptions to online products. I approve of for-profit
companies (like the one I work for) being able to recover their investment
in these online projects, but I hope in this case they will be charging a
token amount.

Guy Dresser
Vice President - Operations
Allen Press, Inc.
810 E. 10th St.
Lawrence, KS 66044
Phone 800 627 0326 ext. 123
FAX 785 843 1244


>THE IDEAL=AE CHARTER FOR LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES HELPS RESEARCHERS CROSS THE
>DIGITAL DIVIDE
>Through Reduced-Rate Access to Scientific, Technical and Medical Journals
>
>San Diego, February 19, 2001 - Universities, research centers and teaching
>hospitals located in low-income countries can now gain reduced-rate access
>to IDEAL, the pioneering online resource library for researchers in
>science, technology and medicine.
>
>The IDEAL Charter for Low-Income Countries, a new licensing model, offers
>specially priced access to IDEAL for institutions located in countries
>with severely limited resources. As Internet connectivity becomes more
>widespread, the availability of IDEAL through this new licensing model
>will contribute to development of many institutions in eligible countries
>worldwide.
>
>The IDEAL Charter offers reduced-rate access to countries conforming to
>the World Bank's definition of low-income countries, i.e. those with a
>Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of $760 (USD) or less. This group
>includes sub-Saharan African countries, as well as ones in Central America
>and Central and Southeast Asia.
>
>Today, in Paris, France, at the ICSU-UNESCO Conference on Electronic
>Publishing in Science, Academic Press President Dr. Pieter Bolman
>delivered a talk on the new economics of the electronic publishing of
>scientific journals. As part of his talk, Dr. Bolman announced the launch
>of the IDEAL Charter for Low-Income Countries.
>
>According to Dr. Bolman, "Developments in information technology continue
>to have a profound effect on production and distribution of scientific,
>technical and medical journals. The transition to electronic publishing of
>these journals has actually just begun and, contrary to popular belief,
>has not and will not come cheaply. However, while we in publishing
>continue to adjust to the ongoing transition period in which STM journals
>are moving rapidly online, we want to step forward and assist researchers
>in countries less fortunate than ours.
>
>"Thus, I am delighted to announce the creation of the IDEAL Charter, which
>will dramatically improve access in low-income countries to our journals.
>This initiative strongly carries forward our enduring goal - to take
>high-quality research findings to the largest possible audience. The IDEAL
>Charter will deliver value far beyond the investment put into it, and
>though the charter is but a small step towards eliminating the digital
>divide, we at Academic Press and Harcourt are proud of this initiative and
>invite participation in it."
>
>Dr. Einar Eriksen, with the Yekatit 12 Hospital Burn Unit in Ethiopia,
>stated: "As a plastic surgeon working in the capital city Addis Ababa, I
>mainly deal with burn patients and other individuals in need of
>reconstructive surgery. Easy access to medical journals through the
>Internet, as proposed by the IDEAL Charter, will be of great
>encouragement, motivation and benefit to professionals working in various
>health institutions in developing countries. I look forward for this
>initiative to be realized."
>
>Today, IDEAL offers 176 currently published Academic Press journals, plus
>Harcourt Health Sciences journals from Churchill Livingstone, W.B.
>Saunders, Bailli=E8re Tindall, and Mosby. The IDEAL Charter offers full-te=
xt
>access to all Harcourt Health Sciences and Academic Press journals, as
>well as Academic Press archival backfiles dating back to 1993, on IDEAL.
>
>As part of the launching of the IDEAL Charter for Low-Income Countries,
>sponsorships are being sought. Though the charter model comprises
>reduced-rate fees, subsidized by Academic Press and Harcourt, some
>low-income countries may need further assistance to enable them to take
>advantage of the innovative licensing initiative. Philanthropic
>organizations and corporations are encouraged to underwrite charter access
>to IDEAL for specific countries.
>
>Complete details regarding the IDEAL Charter are available online at
><http://www.academicpress.com/www/ideal/charter.htm>.
>
>IDEAL is licensed in 30 countries by more than 2,000 academic institutions
>and industrial and pharmaceutical companies and is accessible to over 10
>million authorized users worldwide.
>
>IDEAL now offers nearly 200,000 journal articles and 14,000 journal
>issues. During 2001, the number of journals on IDEAL is increasing, as
>more peer-reviewed medical journals from Harcourt Health Sciences are
>being brought online. This expansion will bring to about 140 the number of
>HHS journals on IDEAL.
>
>IDEAL is the online library of the Harcourt Worldwide STM Group. Academic
>Press is a Harcourt Science and Technology Company and part of Harcourt's
>Worldwide Scientific, Technical and Medical Group. Academic Press is an
>international multiple-media publisher of high-quality journals, book
>serials, major reference works, databases, textbooks and monographs.
>
>Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Harcourt, Inc., Harcourt General
>(NYSE: H) is a leading global multiple-media publisher, providing
>educational, training and assessment products and services to classroom,
>corporate, professional, research, medical and consumer markets.
>
>IDEAL is a registered trademark of Harcourt, Inc. More information about
>IDEAL appears at <http://www.idealibrary.com>.
>
>This news release appears online at:
><http://www.academicpress.com/www/ideal/pressreleases/charter.htm>.  More
>IDEAL news is available online at:
><http://www.academicpress.com/www/ideal/pressreleases/>
>
>--end---