Re: Libraries Urge Justice Departmen to Block Cinven and Candover

[David Goodman <dgoodman@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>]

Purchase of BertelsmannSpringer
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Of course there is individual variation, and some publishers are less
avaricious than others. As Anthony points out, any publisher is aware of
the possibility of pricing itself out of the market. Some of them, though,
are willing to take considerable risks in that direction. It has not
helped that in the past many libraries were willing to cut other services
in order to pay. It certainly has not helped that authors generally are
unaware of the cost of the journals to which they send articles.

I'm an academic, and therefore have the bias that those in the field
should be aware at some level of the relevant work of economists such as
McCabe. Anyone who knows Anthony knows that he is being over-modest.

But what is really upsetting is the destruction of publisher archives. I
have been requested by my students to teach a course on the business
history of electronic publishing, and I know that most of the necessary
primary sources are not available. Some of them will be in later
years--and to the extent that business is transacted by email much current
material will eventually surface.

I urge Anthony (and others) to record in detail their extensive knowledge
for publication--delayed publication if necessary.

Dr. David Goodman
Visiting Research Scholar
Princeton University Library
and
Associate Professor
Palmer School of Library and Information Science, LIU

dgoodman@princeton.edu