There have been a number of posts regarding the TESOL Quarterly. I would like to take this opportunity to address the issue.
For 2011 and previous, the title TESOL Quarterly was bundled with TESOL journal as print + free online or online-only. As long as a customer maintained a subscription, they were given complimentary access to all of the journals’ online issues from 1981 to the present. If they did not renew, they lost access to the online content.
From the previous TESOL site license agreement:
Subscription Fee and Terms of Access
The Subscriber will pay TESOL an annual subscription fee for use of the Licensed Materials as set forth in this Agreement. The subscription entitles the Subscriber to perpetual full-text access to all the Licensed Materials archived on IngentaConnect for one year, including back content.
The Subscriber agrees to abide by IngentaConnect’s User Agreement. Where IngentaConnect’s User Agreement conflicts with this License Agreement, this Agreement shall prevail.
Should the Subscriber terminate the subscription, this Agreement is void and access to the Licensed Materials through IngentaConnect will be terminated immediately.
Subscribers did not retain the access to the full archive in perpetuity but only as long as they subscribed. Access to the back issues were available to purchase if the customer wished to retain the backfile access.
From the previous TESOL site license agreement:
Archiving: Downloading entire issues from the Licensed Materials for any purpose other than electronic reserves without written permission from TESOL is strictly prohibited. Back issues are available from TESOL for a fee. Archiving the Licensed Materials in electronic or paper form is also strictly prohibited.
According to the TRANSFER Code of Practice, as the receiving publisher our obligation is as follows:
Customers that have been granted perpetual access rights to previously published content with the authority of the journal owner must have those rights honored. Either the Transferring or the Receiving Publisher, or both, could fulfill perpetual access obligations.
We are not obligated to continue the subscription policies of the previous publisher.
For customers outside of our licensed deals, Wiley’s policy is as the original announcement stated:
- Archival access to content dating back 5 years during the subscription year 2011 (i.e., access to content from 2007 to 2011 during the subscription year 2011)
- Perpetual access to the paid-for year (i.e., maintain permanent access to 2011 content if subscription ceases in 2012)
Although this customer is losing access to back files prior to 2008, she is gaining the perpetual access rights to the paid-for years going forward. This was not previously granted by TESOL.
For customers within our licensed deals, archival access is given to content dating back to 1997.
Wiley takes its obligations as an endorser to the TRANSFER Code of Practice very seriously and we believe that we have followed the Code in this instance.
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Jane F White
Director, Global Sales Support and Renewals
John Wiley & Sons, In.c
111 River Street, MC 9-01
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5714
201-748-6307