Re: End of Free Access in Bangladesh - Springer

[David Prosser <david.prosser@rluk.ac.uk>]

I have received the message below from David Elek from Springer 
letting me know that all is not as clear-cut as the BMJ news item 
makes out.  I am pleased to see that Springer has been supplying 
access to journals in Bangladesh through the INASP programme and 
that there is no change to this.  Springer has also issued a 
press release on the matter:

http://www.springer.com/about+springer/media/pressreleases?SGWID=3D0-11002-6-1067521-0

I very much hope that the other publishers mentioned will be able 
to give us similar reassurances and it will turn out that this 
has been a misunderstanding.

My apologies to Springer for taking the article at face value.

David

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Elek, David, Springer DE" <David.Elek@springer.com>
> Date: 14 January 2011 20:48:49 GMT
> To: "david.prosser@rluk.ac.uk" <david.prosser@rluk.ac.uk>
> Cc: "owner-liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu" <owner-liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu>
> Subject: End of Free Access in Bangladesh - Springer
>
> David,
> 
> Have been following this discussion with bemusement. There 
> seems to have been a mix-up here.
> 
> Springer has not given free access to Bangladesh via HINARI 
> since at least 2006.
> 
> Since 2006 though, and in continuation today, Springer offers 
> free access to its extended package of over 1700 journals to 
> eligible institutions in Bangladesh through INASP.
> 
> The list of eligible institutions include all academic sites, 
> plus many others, including the International Centre for 
> Diarrhoeal Disease Research in Dhaka, the institution at the 
> centre of this controversy. A total of 47 institutions in 
> Bangladesh receive free Springer access.
> 
> The above institution has access to Springer journals, far more 
> in fact than the 588 titles mentioned in the BMJ article.
> 
> I don't know where the information that Springer withdrew 
> access has come from; nevertheless Kimberly Parker of HINARI 
> has been informed.
> 
> I cannot speak for other publishers, so do not know if this 
> mistaken information also applies to them. No doubt they will 
> contact you in due course.
> 
> Please can you put this erratum up on to your Liblicense 
> listserv.
> 
> Thanks and regards,
> 
> David Elek
> Global Director of Library Sales for Emerging Markets
> Springer Science and Business Media
> Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg, Germany