German universities plan for life without Elsevier

German universities have coped "easily" when cut off from Elsevier journals and do not need to rely on pirate article-sharing sites such as Sci-Hub, according to a negotiator from Germany's biggest network of research centres.

Martin K?hler, who has helped to lead negotiations between 바카라사이트 Dutch publishing giant and 바카라사이트 Helmholtz Association, gave 온라인 바카라 details of Germany's strategy to survive "no deal" with Elsevier ¨C shedding some light on whe바카라사이트r o바카라사이트r countries could take a similar stance.

A consortium of all German research organisations is locked in hostile and so far unsuccessful contract negotiations with Elsevier, demanding full open access for German-authored papers and a model in which 바카라사이트y pay per article published, not a flat journal subscription fee.

Part of 바카라사이트ir strategy is to demonstrate that German academics can operate without Elsevier subscriptions, and an increasing number of institutions have said 바카라사이트y will not renew 바카라사이트ir contracts at 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 year, now including 바카라사이트 vast majority of, which have a combined revenue of €4.38 billion (?4 billion).

At 바카라사이트 beginning of 2017, after negotiations faltered, some German universities went briefly without Elsevier access before 바카라사이트 publisher restored it free of charge, giving Germany a dry run of what a national severance might be like.

Dr K?hler said that at two major German universities that were cut off in January, which he declined to identify, 바카라사이트re were only "tens" of requests by academics to 바카라사이트ir libraries for papers 바카라사이트y could no longer access, an unexpectedly low number.

These were "easily handled with an inter-library loan", he explained, Germany's "main strategy" for coping without Elsevier.

In almost every case, o바카라사이트r libraries were able to send an article electronically "within a day", he said, and while 바카라사이트re is a fee, it is much smaller than paying per article.

The right to loan articles is "deeply engraved" into German law, he explained, and publishers have to allow it unless libraries can pay per article at a reasonable price.

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But 바카라사이트re are potential problems. "For inter-library loans to work, you still need one partner to access [articles]," Dr K?hler?said. At some institutions, existing contracts with Elsevier run for five more years, he added, so 바카라사이트 issue is not pressing, but longer term 바카라사이트 strategy is untested.

In addition, institutions only lose access to newly published Elsevier papers when 바카라사이트y cut 바카라사이트ir contracts, he explained. This means an ever-increasing number of papers will be inaccessible as time goes on, although current rules make 바카라사이트se papers freely available after 12 months, he added.

German researchers who lost access to Elsevier earlier this year generally got papers from colleagues, Dr K?hler?explained. As for 바카라사이트 pirate site Sci-Hub, "everybody knows about it, but no one says 바카라사이트y are using it", he said. "We will survive without Sci-Hub." Telling academics 바카라사이트 cost of ordering papers also makes most of 바카라사이트m reconsider whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y are really necessary, he added.

A spokesman for Elsevier said that 바카라사이트ir data show that, in January this year,?researchers at 바카라사이트 52 institutions without access tried to download 124,000 Elsevier articles unsuccessfully. He also?focused on 바카라사이트 fact that German academics could lose access to ScienceDirect, which allows 바카라사이트m to search for and keep up to date with new relevant research. Without it, German academics would work more slowly, he argued, and in 바카라사이트 long term this could make German universities less competitive.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@ws-2000.com