Re: Scholarly Publishing Principles -- Jeanette Skwor Stephen D. Clark 14 Jun 2000 21:09 UTC
-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: Scholarly Publishing Principles -- Dan Lester Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2000 15:49:55 -0500 From: "Skwor, Jeanette" <skworj@UWGB.EDU> ***Snipped from the post which follows: > > I find it difficult to explain five- and six-figure journal > > subscription prices to parents and students who are piling up large > > debts to pay tuition. > > I've not seen any six figure prices yet ***According to an article in the June issue of _College & Research Libraries News_, the _Journal of Comparative Neurology_ went from $1920 in 1985 to a current $15,000. The article, which may be of interest to participants in this discussion, is "Create Change" by Ray English and Larry Hardesty, p. 515. Jeanette L. Skwor Email:skworj@uwgb.edu Serials Dept., Cofrin Library Phone: (920)465-2670 University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Fax: (920)465-2783 Green Bay, WI 54311-7001 > -----Original Message----- > From: Stephen D. Clark [mailto:sdclar@mail.wm.edu] > Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2000 7:21 AM > To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU > Subject: Re: Scholarly Publishing Principles -- Dan Lester > > > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: Re: Scholarly Publishing Principles -- Fred Jenkins > Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2000 13:59:27 -0600 > From: Dan Lester <dan@riverofdata.com> > Reply-To: Dan Lester <dan@riverofdata.com> > Organization: RiverOfData.com > > > Monday, June 12, 2000, 1:38:46 PM, you wrote: > > > > Higher administrations have numerous > > competing demands for funds aside from research support, > many of which are > > mandated by government agencies or the people who pay > tuition and taxes to > > support higher education. Most people outside of higher education > > (at least in my experience) are much more concerned with the quality > > and affordability of undergraduate education; they tend to > regard research > > as secondary unless they see it leading directly to > economic development in > > their region. > > This is absolutely correct. Talk to the average taxpayer, and s/he > will tell you that research is fine for Harvard or Stanford, but that > it is of no importance to the typical state college or university > unless they can see a dollar return, and see it NOW. Look at the > Golden Fleece Awards that some senator gives out all the time. > They're generally for some federally funded research at a university, > and for something valid, but not of value to Joe Citizen, like "Study > of the Reproductive Habits of the Spiral Purple Snail in the Podunk > River near Nowhere, Nebraska." That would be a perfectly good > research topic, and might even lead to something of economic value > someday. However, when you try to explain to Mary Public that > spending a hundred grand on it is a good thing, you'll hear about all > the other things that money could better be spent on. > > > If colleges and universities were to follow Mr. Henderson's > admonitions, I > > suspect we would soon be called to account by those who > ultimately pay > > the bills. > > We all are now, of course, and would be even more under that scenario. > > > I find it difficult to explain five- and six-figure journal > > subscription prices to parents and students who are piling up large > > debts to pay tuition. > > I've not seen any six figure prices yet, but it wouldn't surprise me > if they were to come along. It is bad enough trying to explain the > cost of journals to faculty. The line I regularly use with the > Chemistry and Physics faculties I work with is "Well, the ACS [or AIP, > etc.] is YOUR professional society, and not mine, so why not take it > up with them at your next annual conference." Of course these society > publishers have become such entrenched bureaucracies with their own > goals to survive and expand, that the society members have almost no > real input to the business operations. > > I'm not suggesting that society publishers are bad, just that they > should not really be separated from the mass of commercial publishers. > > dan > > > -- > Dan Lester dan@RiverOfData.com > 3577 East Pecan, Boise, ID 83716-7115 USA > www.riverofdata.com www.postcard.org www.gailndan.com >