Re: AAAS and JSTOR issues

[Elizabeth Kirk <Elizabeth.E.Kirk@dartmouth.edu>]

David,

I respectfully say that you've misunderstood my point; no doubt I 
wasn't clear.

JStor's mandate is to serve non-profit customers only. I'm glad 
for that--it keeps this wonderful product affordable for the 
academic community.

AAAS, also a non-profit, serves a wider community that includes 
the for-profit sector: its mission statement indicates global 
engagement, as you noted. If AAAS used only JStor as an outlet 
for its online Science archive, it would not be able to provide 
it to the for-profit segment of its community. To fulfill its 
mission, AAAS must find an alternative for **that part of its 
audience**.

Nowhere did I say that AAAS ought to be making money, nor do I 
assume that they plan to do so. My suggestion is that AAAS 
continue to work with JStor to serve the non-profit community in 
the manner to which we've happily become accustomed. Let AAAS use 
another means to make the Science archive available to its 
for-profit audience. Hopefully at cost only.

I applaud AAAS serving a wide community. I find it frustrating 
when some other information providers demonstrate a profound lack 
of interest in serving the academic community; fairness dictates 
that I not then ask that AAAS leave out another market as long as 
it serves mine. And, frankly, I am heartened that AAAS's mission 
includes the widest audience because I want its values of science 
for societal good and integrity in science to infiltrate the 
corporate sector (much more to my taste than science in service 
to robber barons) as well as being a strong component of science 
education.

I'd also like the Science archive to remain affordable and 
accessible through JStor for our community.

Thanks for your kind patience,


Elizabeth E. Kirk
Associate Librarian for Information Resources
Dartmouth College Library
Hanover, NH 03755-3525
Elizabeth.E.Kirk@dartmouth.edu


On Sep 11, 2007, at 6:38 PM, David Carlson wrote:

> As my letter to AAAS tried to make clear, the key issue in this 
> decision ought to be mission. Yes, AAAS is a nonprofit with a 
> broad mission. I also agree that AAAS needs to be successful 
> operationally in its business affairs, but its mission as a 
> non-profit is not to make money. Its mission is to advance 
> science and serve society, as its web site reminds us on every 
> darn page.
>
> I am sure that on occasion in the history of any organization, 
> decisions are necessary that may be viewed, at some levels, in 
> opposition to mission. But any decision that is contradictory 
> to mission (as I believe the JSTOR withdrawal decision clearly 
> represents) ought to be rare (first and foremost), carefully 
> considered and justified relative to mission. In my judgment, 
> the JSTOR withdrawal rationale posted on the AAAS web site is 
> stunningly weak in its rationale and justification with no 
> recognition that it represents a departure from mission.
>
> -- David
>
> -----Original Message-----
> [mailto:owner-liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Elizabeth Kirk
> Sent: Monday, September 10, 2007 5:28 PM
> To: liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu
> Subject: Re: AAAS and JSTOR issues
>
> I, too, am disappointed in the withdrawal of Science from JStor.
> JStor has been and continues to be one of the very best projects
> to take advantage of the Internet.
>
> There is a key difference, however, in the missions of AAAS and
> JStor. JStor is dedicated to serving the public and non-profit
> sectors (to the best of my knowledge, and I speak from
> experience, JStor does not grant licenses to for-profit
> institutions). AAAS, itself a non-profit, has a broader mission
> and broader audience. If AAAS maintains an exclusive relationship
> with JStor, it would not be possible for its profit-side audience
> to enjoy access to Science archives.
>
> If JStor were to become AAAS's vendor for non-profit and
> government agencies, all sides of the equation might be well
> served---AAAS's broader audience would have access to the archive
> through other means and JStor would be able to keep this title
> and its mandate.
>
> If I am speaking through my hat, I welcome the correction of
> someone closer to either party.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Elizabeth E. Kirk
> Associate Librarian for Information Resources
> Dartmouth College Library
> 6025 Baker-Berry Library, Rm. 115
> Hanover, NH 03755-3525
> telephone: (603) 646-9929
> fax: (603) 646-3702
> Elizabeth.E.Kirk@dartmouth.edu
>
>
> On Sep 7, 2007, at 8:56 PM, dcarlson@lib.siu.edu wrote:
>
> > It does not seem to have garnered much listserv attention, but
> > I think most liblicense readers are aware of the AAAS decision
> > to withdraw its premier publication, Science magazine, from
> > JSTOR. I was very disappointed with this decision. I recently
> > sent a letter to the chair of AAAS, John Holdren, expressing my
> > concerns and my hope that AAAS would reconsider its decision. A
> > copy of my letter is below in plain and simple (but easily
> > exchanged) ASCII text.
> [stuff deleted....]