Re: Reserve permissions not fast enough ?

Sorry to continue to subject everyone on the list to this, but it appears to be an open discussion...

In reply to Thaddeus of the New Mexico Supreme Court Library, who wrote as follows...

"It is not that we don't have the technology, it is that we are not willing to pay more for it. Why don't publishers have an equivalent to Books in Print on the Internet that is a consortium? Why do the depend on libraries using Bowkers behind the times CDROM? Not organized enough? Even the used book dealers were able to get ANTIQUARIA up and running in a very brief time. Do publishers know about the Internet? CARL has a nice debit system for periodical copies, copyright paid and all."

You are right, and yet you miss the point entirely. Of course we have the technology- that's why it's so furstrating to see the entertainment industry develop and utilize electronic technology extensively while libraries tread water. And yes, it is a matter of money to a large extent- I think I tried to take issue with that in a previous posting.

Consider for a moment that the "we" in my situation who are "not willing to pay more" are not cable TV watchers with VISA cards at the ready, but graduate students seeking easy access to required readings for their courses. I was heartened to hear someone pick up the fair use argument for course reserves operations- this hits much closer to the mark than pay-per-view analogies. Higher educational institutions are not in a position to pay exorbitant sums to vendors like CARL to give their students affordable access to information.

Again quoting Thaddeus, "Do we just need to nudge the publishers?"

You would think it's in the publishers' interest to work towards a solution- wouldn't you? (nudge, nudge)

					--Jeff Rosedale
				Columbia University Libraries