STM ISSUES POSITION FOR CUSTOMERS' ONLINE ACCESS WHEN SOCIETY JOURNALS CHANGE PUBLISHERS

[Ann Okerson <ann.okerson@yale.edu>]

Of possible interest for readers.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2006 13:09:24 +0200
From: Linda Young <Linda@stm.nl>
To: Ann Okerson <ann.okerson@yale.edu>
Subject: STM ISSUES POSITION FOR CUSTOMERS' ONLINE ACCESS WHEN SOCIETY
     JOURNALS CHANGE PUBLISHERS

Contact: Michael Mabe
E-mail: linda@stm.nl

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

STM ISSUES POSITION FOR CUSTOMERS' ONLINE ACCESS WHEN SOCIETY JOURNALS
CHANGE PUBLISHERS

London, England, 4 August 2006 - The International Association of 
Scientific, Technical & Medical Publishers (STM) a trade 
association has issued a position 'Ensuring Quality Customer 
Access to Online Content when Society Journals Change 
Publishers.'

Many STM members publish scholarly journals on behalf of 
scientific or medical societies. When such societies change 
publishers (as contract terms expire), or when societies elect to 
begin or reinitiate their own direct publishing efforts, there 
are often important transitional questions not always dealt with 
clearly in the underlying contracts.  Of most importance to 
library customers and end-user researchers is any potential 
impact concerning access to electronic journals, especially when 
those journals are hosted on specialized online platforms.

'Researcher access to online scientific content should never be 
held ransom because of a business transition," said Michael Mabe, 
CEO of STM. 'STM publishers must work together cooperatively to 
ensure seamless transitions that minimize interruptions.'

STM has identified certain core principles that should govern 
such transitions, although of course it does not intend in any 
way to interfere with existing contractual relationships.

The core principles are:

* The prior publisher should be able to continue to offer access 
(on a non-exclusive basis) to previously licensed journal content 
under, and according to the terms and conditions of, existing 
customer licenses;

* The prior and new publishers should work together to minimise 
disruption to used by sending out joint communications and 
co-ordinating work on changing the access arrangements; and

* The new publisher should aim to provide access on-line as soon 
as reasonable practical after the transition.

STM believes that these principles outlined are equally 
applicable to general transfers or acquisitions of a journal or a 
portfolio of journal titles (whether or not society-owned) and 
applicable as well when societies decide to bring this publishing 
activity (back) in-house.

STM salutes the work of other associations and publishing group 
on these issues, particularly the UK Serials Group working group 
"Transfer" (see http://www.uksg.org/transfer.asp). and ALPSP in 
its Advice Note 18 called "When a society journal changes 
publisher" (see http://www.alpsp.org/socjourn1.pdf).  More work 
is needed in this area to ensure greater efficiencies in such 
transitions, while at the same time respecting the overall 
competitive environment from a business perspective.


The International Association of Scientific, Technical & Medical 
Publishers (STM) is a global trade association with approximately 
100 member publishing organisations, both large and small, and 
for-profit and not-for-profit, collectively responsible for about 
50% of the global output of research articles each year. STM's 
mission is assisting publishers and their authors with their 
activities by disseminating results of STM research, assisting 
national and international organisations and industries to 
improve electronic dissemination of STM information, and working 
with international and national publishers associations and other 
governmental and professional bodies, concerned with these tasks.

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