Re: Article downloads lower?

["Anthony Watkinson" <anthony.watkinson@btopenworld.com>]

I just do not agree with Fred about learned society publishers. Learned
societies (its members represented through elected representatives) can
instruct their publishing arms to adopt different policies but they do
not. My definition of the academic community is those actually engaged in
teaching and research. Librarians and publishers serve that community. I
do not how to classify most of those who actually run universities and as
for their administrative staff - surely these people are not part of the
scholarly community?

----- Original Message -----
From: ""FrederickFriend"" <ucylfjf@ucl.ac.uk>
To: <liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu>
Sent: Thursday, October 13, 2005 2:09 AM
Subject: Re: Article downloads lower?

> Anthony's point illustrates how the location of many publishers in the
> information environment has changed in recent years. My definition of
> the academic community is "those who are substantially engaged in
> research and/or teaching, together with leaders of academic
> institutions". Some publishers still fall within that definition - as do
> some librarians - but most do not. Some learned society publishers still
> have very close links with the societies they serve, but they are now a
> minority within their profession. Publishing has developed
> professionally and corporately as a service industry, and publishers are
> due every respect for the service they provide. Publishers share some
> core values - such as a wish to maintain quality - with everybody else
> in the information environment. In other respects, however, the
> interests of the academic community and the publishing community appear
> to have diverged, and it is this apparent divergence of interests that
> appears to be at the heart of the debate on open access. I take no
> pleasure from this situation and believe that the apparent divergence of
> interests can be reconciled. This was the spirit in which I sent my
> message about downloads.
>
> Fred Friend
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Anthony Watkinson" <anthony.watkinson@btopenworld.com>
> To: <liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2005 1:05 AM
> Subject: Re: Article downloads lower?
>
> > I know this has been said before (including by me to Fred) but in his
> > posting he speaks of publishers working with the academic community. Is
> > he really suggesting that he represents the academic community and that
> > publishers (often learned societies or partnering with learned
> > societies) are somehow on the other side of some fence? I can see no
> > justification for this claim.
> >
> > Anthony Watkinson