RE: Elsevier's Vanishing Act

["Richard Jasper" <richardj@library.tmc.edu>]

David Goodman writes:

Print articles do not disappear in the cases mentioned. Electronic
journals offer the opportunity to do better than print--to attach
permanently to the article a notice of the retraction and the reason. I'd
certainly use a link, as has been suggested, but I would propose doing yet
more: an overprint or header so that all printed copies would carry the
notice.

To which I must point out:

Unfortunately, on at least one significant occasion the publisher asked
libraries to physically remove the problematic article and I'm bettting
that more than one harried, overworked, dutiful serials librarian complied
with the request.

Richard P. Jasper
Assistant Director for Collections
HAM-TMC Library
Houston