Re: copyright expiration as a spur to creativity

On 01 Sep 1998, Edward Barrow <edward[_at_]plato32.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
> There is a real problem with the "Access not ownership" approach in
> that the economics of it are formulated entirely from the library's
> perspective. There was a fashion for library consortia to set up
> consortia union catalogues and cancel any duplicate subscriptions:
> result, a major saving which on paper should offset the administrative
> costs of maintaining inter-library photocopy supply services between
> members of the consortium. However from the journal publisher's
> perspective these cancellations result in the costs of each volume
> being shared amongst a smaller number of subscribers - yet another
> upward push on subscription prices.

More important, when looking at the cost to the researcher and to the underwriters of research, we can see how the "access not ownership" savings are penny-wise and pound-foolish. By raising the threshhold to essential information, the beancounters have undoubtedly increased mediocrity, duplication, error, and insularity. The greatest challenge to the quality of peer review is the increase in undisseminated information -- information that has not reached and been recognized by the referee.

> The digital environment with site licences, often negotiated by
> consortia, allows more flexible pricing models which avoid this problem.
> That said, most current pricing models for site licences are very crude
> (typically, current journal expenditure in exchange for the whole of a
> publisher's repertoire).

The digital environment also brings additional costs of infrastructure, obsolescence, training, service, and energy. Storage, according to a Carnegie-Mellon study is something like 16 times the cost of paper on shelves (if I call correctly) over a relatively short term.

IMHO the true cost of "access not ownership" has yet to be estimated. When the devestation is finally understood, its proponents will be gone and not subject to any accounting.

Albert Henderson, Editor, PUBLISHING RESEARCH QUARTERLY <70244.1532[_at_]compuserve.com> Received on Thu Sep 03 1998 - 15:42:39 GMT