RE: Multi-Site licensing language

[Peter Picerno <ppicerno@fiu.edu>]

" Some publishers cling stubbornly to separate site fees," and 
historical duplicates .... Blackwell is one such publisher: we 
have had duplicate print subscriptions in the past which 
Blackwell will not allow us to cancel (even though we pay 
duplicate electronic subscription prices) because in their eyes 
we must maintain the same 'spend.'

Peter V. Picerno
Serials & E-Resources
Asst. Head, Resource Development
Green Library GL 810
Florida International University
University Park
Miami  FL   33199

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu [mailto:owner-liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu]
On Behalf Of Syun Tutiya
Sent: Tuesday, April 07, 2009 4:52 PM
To: liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu
Subject: Re: Multi-Site licensing language

Dear Linda,

> I agree with Joan. Geographic restrictions are not relevant for
> electronic resources. Some publishers cling stubbornly to
> separate site fees, and a few remain convinced that access must
> be limited to within 6 or so miles of the main library
> building. Does anyone have insights on how that ridiculous
> policy started?

Oh, is it history yet?  Years ago, when neither publishers nor
libraries knew for sure how the transition from print to online
could be financially and commercially viable, one of the issues
being discussed fervently was the handling of historical
duplicates.  In the days of print, there was obvious good reason
for multiple subscriptions for the same title for remotely
separated campuses.  In spit of the obvious fact, which you
rightly point out, that geographic restrictions are not relevant
for electronic resources, it seemed obvious to publishers that
they could not allow the revenue from duplicate subscriptions to
decrease due to the cancellations which librarians thought were
obvious for the right reason you point out. Some bigger
publishers came up with acceptable ideas for the plan for
transition, such as special allowance for cancellation due to
past duplication.  Some, mainly smaller ones, could not do
anything except insisting that they wanted the same amount money
as before.  So the official reason was that the pricing is
affected by the number of "sites."  The "sites" here actually
meant the number of the print copies which the same library of
the same institution had subscribed for as many campuses of the
same insitution.  Well, this is not insight, but a history from
the print days.

Hope this helps.

Syun
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Syun Tutiya
Professor of Cognitive and Information Sciences, Chiba University
Address: Faculty of Letters, Chiba University
1-33 Yayoicho, Inageku, Chiba 263-8522, JAPAN
(phone) +81-43-290-2277, 3027(office) 3550(IMIT) (fax) +81-43-290-2278(office)
(mail) tutiya@kenon.L.chiba-u.ac.jp (uri) http://CogSci.L.chiba-u.ac.jp/~tutiya/
(Institutional Repository:CURATOR) http://mitizane.chiba-u.jp/curator/