Re: Elsevier profit

[Brian Simboli <brs4@lehigh.edu>]

The following is an intriguing idea. Has it ever been entertained or
discussed in any way? Brian Simboli

	"Frankly, if the US Government simply dictated that all research 
	resulting from federal grants had to be freely available to the 
	public who paid for it would put a big hole in publisher 
	monopolies."

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Brian Simboli
Science Librarian
Library & Technology Services
E.W. Fairchild Martindale
Lehigh University
8A East Packer Avenue
Bethlehem, PA 18015-3170
(610) 758-5003  Fax (610) 758-6524
E-mail:  brs4@lehigh.edu

____

Harvey Brenneise wrote:

> Jan, I agree that it's about economics.  However, one should not forget
> that there are and have been for a long time quite a number of non-profit
> publishers of journals who are under no pressure at all to create profits
> for shareholders.  Many of these are in disciplines where there is no
> "funding pressure" (such as the humanities) to pay for increases in price
> that are unrelated to change in cost of production.  But it is difficult
> for libraries to walk away from the monopolies, and so they are caught.
> Frankly, if the US Government simply dictated that all research resulting
> from federal grants had to be freely available to the public who paid for
> it would put a big hole in publisher monopolies.
>
> Sincerely,
> Harvey Brenneise
> Michigan Public Health Institute