Scholars and Online Pricing: New First Monday Article

Economics of scientific and biomedical journals: Where do scholars stand in the debate of online journal pricing and site license ownership between libraries and publishers?

by Haekyung Jeon–Slaughter, Andrew C. Herkovic, and Michael A. Keller

http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue10_3/jeon/index.html

The authors evaluate the “big picture” of e-journal usage and licensure, taking into consideration the roles not only of libraries, but also of authors, users and publishers. These participants in the knowledge creation and consumption process have complex and vibrant with relationships with each other, and the balance of power between them is in flux. The authors argue that the importance of scholars’ behavior in the pricing of scientific journal has been overlooked in the debate between libraries and publishers over site license practices—suggesting that more research is needed in this area. They cite a Stanford survey that indicates that sharply increasing costs are the main reason for individual subscription cancellation, driving users to rely on library or other institutional subscriptions. Consequently, libraries continue to be vital providers in the electronic era and their bargaining power in the market and the importance of roles in scholarly communication will grow. The driving forces behind this growth are effective “branding” of the library and very strong and durable relationships with users. Indeed, libraries have taken a role of “agency” on behalf of users, and users are increasingly aware of this. On the other side of the marketplace, publishers must find new strategies for building better relationships with individual users. They conclude by asserting that a cooperative spirit among the three sectors (libraries, publishers, users) holds the greatest hope for an optimized digital future.