Re: practical solution

[Mark Funk <mefunk@med.cornell.edu>]

At 12:01 AM -0400 7/1/06, David Goodman wrote:

> Rather, the reasonable suggestion is that money from the 
> no-longer-necessary journal subscriptions be used to help pay 
> for OA fees--but not directly by the library.
<snip>

> Librarians could right now cancel their most expensive (and not 
> cost-effective) subscriptions for 2007, regardless of tradition; 
> they could then inform the provost that they would like to apply 
> about half this money to help faculty pay author fees, and would 
> she please distribute the money. (explaining that the other half 
> will be used for long-standing library needs that he's been 
> asking her to fund for years, and will no longer have to ask.)
Most libraries cancelled their "expensive and not cost-effective" 
journals years ago. There are no more "no-longer-necessary" 
journals left to cancel. Cancelling titles nowadays means losing 
titles our users want and need. To use this money to then pay for 
"Open Choice" publishing is like robbing five or six Peters to 
pay one Paul.

Mark Funk
Head, Collection Development
Weill Cornell Medical Library
1300 York Avenue
New York, NY 10021
mefunk@med.cornell.edu
PH: 212-746-6073
FX: 212-746-8271