117.2 PRICE INCREASES AND PRINTING COSTS, Bruce Goatly
117.3 SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE FOR LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE ANNUAL CONFERENCE: LIBRARIES AND INFORMATION FOR ALL, Norma Laburn
117.4 EARLY PROJECTIONS RECEIVED FROM PUBLISHERS INDICATE 8 TO 10 PERCENT INCREASES ARE POSSIBLE, EBSCO Subscription Services
117.5 ARCHIVE OF SUBVERSION DISCUSSION (Stevan Harnad), Ann Ercelawn
Marcia Tuttle, tuttle@gibbs.oit.unc.edu
I would like to introduce the newest member of the newsletter's editorial board -- to those of you who don't already know him; Christian Boissonnas is widely known and loved! Christian, who is Director, Central Technical Services, Cornell University Library, has recently given up the ownership and editorship of ACQNET, the electronic newsletter on library acquisi- tions. He has spent his career at Cornell, but he is active in ALA/ALCTS, especially the Acquisitions Section and the "Big Heads" group. Christian is also a fixture at the Charleston Conference. The editor and the rest of the editorial board are most pleased to welcome Christian, his perspective, and his personality to the _Newsletter on Serials Pricing Issues_. Thanks to those of you who have already commented on the proposed expansion of the newsletter's scope and the title change, mentioned in this space in no. 116. We value every one of those messages. More about that in a later issue.117.2 PRICE INCREASES AND PRINTING COSTS
Bruce Goatly, Head of Publishing, The Royal Society, London; ezrs002@ulcc.ac.uk
Guy Dresser of Allen Press (NSPI 115.3) is quite correct to question why, when STM printers have been holding or reducing their prices over the past 2-3 years, publishers continue to press for subscription price increases. While I would not wish to try to justify the quoted projections of 8-10 percent increases by other publishers, it is worth bearing in mind that the straight production costs (typesetting, printing, binding and paper), for the Society's journals at least, amount to only 42 percent of the total costs involved in publishing them: increases in the other costs can be offset only partly by reductions in production costs. The Society, like most other learned societies that publish, is acutely aware of constraints on library budgets and therefore always seeks to mini- mize its price increases. Its 1995 subscription rates for the four main journals, just recently set, average 2.3 percent over the 1994 prices. The recent weakening of the US dollar (alluded to by Ron Akie in NSPI 115.1) has led us to increase the rate used to set dollar prices, but even so, the average price increase for payment in dollars for US subscribers is only 5.4 percent (and payment in sterling, at 2.4 percent over 1994, is always an alternative). Indeed, the Society has even reduced its air-speeded post price for the rest of the world (all sterling and some dollar prices) after a recalculation of the costs. These are troublous -- if exciting -- times for publishers and librarians alike, and I doubt that the Society is either the best or the worst in respect of its price-setting policy. Thanks to improving dialogue between publishers and librarians it seems to me unlikely that any publisher -- learned society or commercial -- is now increasing its prices more than absolutely necessary.117.3 SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE FOR LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE ANNUAL CONFERENCE: LIBRARIES AND INFORMATION FOR ALL
Norma Laburn, University of the Witwatersrand, 056norma@witsvma.wits.ac.za.
SAILIS (South African Institute for Library and Information Science) is holding its annual conference at Esselen Park, close to both Johannesburg and Pretoria, from 19-23 September, 1994. Speakers from the local LIS com- munity and invited speakers from overseas will be addressing the question, "Libraries and information for all," an appropriate theme in this the first year of the democratic New South Africa. Visits to local public and special libraries are being arranged. In addition, an exhibition is being staged for suppliers of LIS equipment, books, serials, and other services. Interested persons are invited to contact: Norma Laburn (056norma@witsvma.wits.ac.za) (delegates) OR Di Man (056perio@witsvma.wits.ac.za) (exhibitors) for more details.117.4 EARLY PROJECTIONS RECEIVED FROM PUBLISHERS INDICATE 8 TO 10 PERCENT INCREASES ARE POSSIBLE
Reprinted with permission from EBSCO's _At Your Service_, June/July/August 1994, no. 29.
Early responses to a recent inquiry to major publishers regarding 1995 subscription prices indicate increases might range from 8 to 10 percent. These percentages are for actual subscription price increases, without regard to currency exchange rate effects. The most recent rate inquiry was sent to publishers worldwide in early June. However, prevailing exchange rates at the time publishers are paid for 1995 subscriptions will affect the ultimate costs for libraries or organizations subscribing to journals published in other countries. Most major STM publishers generally provide new rates to subscription agen- cies by September. The chart below shows the percentage of major 1994 pub- lisher rates received between August and October of 1993, based on a random list of publishers analyzed in mid-September. As of Sept. 17, 1993, approx- imately 76 percent of the large publishers in EBSCO's title database (this includes large STM publishers and large commercial publishers) had provided their rates. Conversely, in an average year less than one-third of the other 30,000-plus small-to-medium size, non-STM publishers set and send prices to agencies by September. % Large Publisher 1993 Date Rates Received August 17 40 September 9 69 September 17 76 September 24 83 October 1 90 PROJECTIONS FOR CUSTOMERS INVOICED IN US DOLLARS. At the time of this writ- ing (28 June), the US dollar was weaker against major European currencies [European currencies monitored are the British pound, Dutch guilder, French franc, German mark and Swiss franc. -ed.] (especially the Swiss and French francs) than it was last November when most publishers were paid for 1994 subscriptions. If invoiced at 28 June rates, most libraries and organiza- tions invoiced in US dollars would pay the following increases for 1995 subscriptions: 12.5 to 15.5 percent for journals priced with fixed conversion rates or priced in US dollars 14.7 to 16.7 percent for journals priced with variable exchange rates and published in Germany or The Netherlands 12.4 to 14.4 percent for journals priced with variable exchange rates and published in the United Kingdom 17.6 to 20.7 percent for journals priced with variable exchange rates and published in other European countries PROJECTIONS FOR CUSTOMERS INVOICED IN EUROPEAN CURRENCIES. As of 28 June all major European currencies were stronger against the US dollar than they were in November of 1994, when most publishers were paid for 1994 subscrip- tions. If invoiced at 28 June rates, European customers would likely pay less for 1995 journals published in the United States than they paid for 1994 subscriptions. Most journals published in Europe have traditionally shown price increases of about 10 percent each year, and early communica- tions from some publishers indicate that 1995 increases will be within an average range of 8 to 10 percent before taking into account the effects of exchange rates. PROJECTIONS FOR CUSTOMERS INVOICED IN CANADIAN DOLLARS. Canadian libraries and organizations will be among the hardest hit by 1995 price increases if exchange rates continue on their current (28 June) course. As of 28 June the Canadian dollar was 14 percent weaker against major European currencies than it was last November (when most publishers were paid for 1994 sub- scriptions). If Canadian customers were invoiced at these exchange rates, European journals would cost about 22 to 24 percent more than they did last year. As of 28 June the Canadian dollar was 7 percent weaker against the US dollar than it was last November. This would result in a 15 to 17 percent increase in the cost of US journals if customers were invoiced at the cur- rent exchange rate. PROJECTIONS FOR CUSTOMERS INVOICED IN AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS. The Australian dollar has gained ground against the US dollar since November of last year (when most publishers were paid for 1994 subscriptions). As of 28 June the Australian dollar was about 7 percent stronger against the US dollar than it was last November but held the same value against major European curren- cies as it did at that time. Therefore, if invoiced at these exchange rates, Australian customers would pay about 1 to 3 percent more for US journals and about 10 to 12 percent more for European journals. EBSCO will continue to provide price updates as more publisher information is received.117.5 ARCHIVE OF SUBVERSION DISCUSSION (Stevan Harnad)
Ann Ercelawn, Vanderbilt University, ERCELAA@ctrvax.Vanderbilt.Edu.
[Reprinted from SERIALST. -ed.] The following is excerpted from a message of Stevan Harnad's to the SERIALST editors regarding his "subversive proposal" for electronic schol- arly publication. While the SERIALST editors did not post the full discus- sion which ensued due to the length of many of the resulting messages, we are happy to refer you to the archive site for this discussion. --Ann & Marcia ________ From: Stevan Harnad, Princeton University, harnad@PRINCETON.EDU Subject: Archive of Subversion Discussion The discussion of my subversive proposal for accelerating the transition to electronic scholarly publication seems to have had something of an impact, so I have archived it all. There is a complete archive in: ftp: princeton.edu//pub/harnad/Psycoloquy/Subversive.Proposal It's all in one big file (3618 lines) called: archive.NOW Contributions are separated by a line of "-----------------------" Chrs, Stevan P.S. You can also get to my archive by archie, gopher, www, etc. Many poin- ters and paths.
Statements of fact and opinion appearing in the _Newsletter on Serials Pricing Issues_ are made on the responsibility of the authors alone, and do not imply the endorsement of the editor, the editorial board, or the Uni- versity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Readers of the NEWSLETTER ON SERIALS PRICING ISSUES are encouraged to share the information in the newsletter by electronic or paper methods. We would appreciate credit if you quote from the newsletter. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The NEWSLETTER ON SERIALS PRICING ISSUES (ISSN: 1046-3410) is published by the editor through the Office of Information Technology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as news is available. Editor: Marcia Tuttle, Internet: tuttle@gibbs.oit.unc.edu; Paper mail: Serials Department, CB #3938 Davis Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC 27514-8890; Telephone: 919 962-1067; FAX: 919 962-4450. Editorial Board: Deana Astle (Clemson University), Christian Boissonnas (Cornell University), Jerry Curtis (Springer Verlag New York), Janet Fisher (MIT Press), Fred Friend (University College London), Charles Hamaker (Louisiana State University), Daniel Jones (University of Texas Health Science Cen- ter), James Mouw (University of Chicago), and Heather Steele (Blackwell's Periodicals Division). The Newsletter is available on the Internet, Black- well's CONNECT, and Readmore's ROSS. EBSCO customers may receive the News- letter in paper format. To subscribe to the newsletter send a message to LISTSERV@GIBBS.OIT.UNC.EDU saying SUBSCRIBE PRICES [YOUR NAME]. Be sure to send that message to the listserver and not to Prices. You must include your name. To unsubscribe (no name required in message), you must send the message from the e-mail address by which you are subscribed. If you have problems, please contact the editor. Back issues of the Newsletter are available electronically. To get a list of available issues send a message to LISTSERV@GIBBS.OIT.UNC.EDU saying INDEX PRICES. To retrieve a specific issue, the message should read: GET PRICES PRICES.xx (where "xx" is the number of the issue). +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++