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Consortia pricing 

Ann Okerson encouraged me to join your group and ask this question.  The
Association for Asian Studies is about to release its Bibliography of
Asian Studies on the internet, via library subscriptions.  This is the
standard source for Western language monographs, journal articles, and
(many) chapters in edited volumes on all of Asia, all disciplines, with
400,000+ entries from 1971 to (fairly) current. 

WE have tentatively decided to use the same four categories of
institutional size that JSTOR employs, with an annual price of $1,200 to
$500.  In talking with knowledgeable people, however, I am told that we
will immediately hear from various consortia seeking special prices.  They
might be a whole state university system with many campuses, or an
organization of otherwise unconnected institutions.

JSTOR tells me they just refuse to deal with consortia, but I worry that
(1) we aren't quite as vital for many libraries and so might lose
customers, and (2) consortia might well be a good idea for other reasons
than getting discounts on digital materials so we should cooperate. 

My question is, if we do decide to cooperate with consortia, how should we
set the prices?  I would much rather have a rule than get into individual
negotiations, but what kind of rule. 
  
Offhand I see two approaches.  One is to add up what each campus would pay
separately, and then apply a discount (say, 10 percent).  Another would be
to establish a price per student head that goes down as the number goes
up, and add these numbers across all the campuses. 

In either case, I am assuming we would require that (1) the payment would
have to come from one source, not each campus, and (2) one source is
responsible for telling us all the eligible IP addresses and informing us
of changes. 

I should add that the AAS is not intending to make money out of this
enterprise, though it is imperative that we get enough revenue to cover
the substantial cost of compiling this bibliography into the future.  I
hope that our goals and those of academic librarians overlap enough to
offset the normally tense relationship between electronic providers and
those who purchase their services.

Many thanks for your consideration,
John Campbell

____________________________________________________________________________
>From John Campbell, Prof. of Political Science, University of Michigan,
and Secretary-Treasurer, Association for Asian Studies. Tel 313 998 7558. 
NOTE NEW FAX AND MAILING ADDRESS:  313 998 7982; and Corner House, 
202 S Thayer St, Ann Arbor MI 48104-1608.


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