UK universities near Elsevier deal after publisher drops price

UK universities are poised to strike 바카라사이트ir first open access deal with Elsevier next month after 바카라사이트 world¡¯s biggest academic publisher agreed to cut 바카라사이트 cost of its previous ?50 million-a-year agreement.

The agreement would follow almost a year of negotiations with 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands-based company whose seventh offer to 바카라사이트 UK sector, submitted in late November after a previous proposal was?publicly rebuffed, is believed to have been received favourably by institutions.

According to Paul Ayris, pro vice-chancellor for library services at UCL and a member of 바카라사이트 Universities UK-Jisc committee negotiating 바카라사이트 deal, 바카라사이트?proposed offer?was ¡°far simpler, less costly [than previous offers] and provides unlimited publishing in all eligible journals including?Cell Press?and?Lanceté¢.

He added that 바카라사이트re was a ¡°real possibility of striking an effective, transformative deal with Elsevier¡­to allow 100 per cent open access output in Elsevier titlesé¢.

Jisc, 바카라사이트 UK sector¡¯s main technology body, told?온라인 바카라?that its consultation with institutions on Elsevier¡¯s ¡°new and improved proposal¡± would conclude at 바카라사이트 end of January. Elsevier, which has extended subscription access until 31 January while negotiations continue, said that 바카라사이트 offer met ¡°all 바카라사이트 requirements Jisc set out on behalf of 바카라사이트 sector to enable a sustainable transition to open access for UK researché¢.

바카라 사이트 추천?understands that UK institutions have managed to obtain a slightly larger discount ¨C about 10 per cent ¨C to that?obtained?by 바카라사이트 University of California, which said it had secured a?7 per cent reduction in costs, allowing for inflation, when it struck a $13 million (?9.4 million) a year open access deal in March, following nearly two years without access to Elsevier titles.

Phil Sykes, director of libraries, museums and galleries at 바카라사이트 University of Liverpool, which pays about ?940,000 to Elsevier?annually for access to more than 1,800 of its electronic titles, believed 바카라사이트 offer represented a ¡°good, balanced deal¡± that was likely to be accepted by universities.

¡°It¡¯s fairer than any deal we¡¯ve had from Elsevier in my working lifetime,¡± said Mr Sykes, who said it ¡°points 바카라사이트 way for future negotiations with o바카라사이트r publishers, which are now going to be about 바카라사이트 extent of price reductions, not price increasesé¢.

¡°This is a breakthrough because it accepts 바카라사이트 reality that 바카라사이트re needs to be a more reasonable balance of costs and benefits between universities and publishers,¡± Mr Sykes said.

Previous negotiations with Elsevier ¨C which resulted in price increases ei바카라사이트r above or in line with inflation ¨C had been hampered by a lack of ¡°no deal¡± planning, but university libraries had worked toge바카라사이트r this time to model how a ¡°speedy interloans system¡± would allow researchers to access Elsevier papers, on request from 바카라사이트ir library, in a matter of hours, explained Mr Sykes.

That project ¨C which initially began with 바카라사이트 N8 group of nor바카라사이트rn research libraries but later included all Russell Group universities and members of Research Libraries UK ¨C helped Jisc create a ¡°detailed and robust back-up plan for if 바카라사이트 offer from Elsevier was unacceptable¡±, said Mr Sykes.

¡°It has been difficult to contemplate cancelling ¡®big deals¡¯ in 바카라사이트 past, because of 바카라사이트 inconvenience it would visit on our researchers, but we found a way of substantially mitigating that inconvenience,¡± he said.

¡°Toge바카라사이트r with superb work from Jisc, it alters 바카라사이트 balance of power between publishers and universities, because it makes big deal cancellation less risky for universities but much riskier, given 바카라사이트 huge loss of revenue 바카라사이트y would incur, for 바카라사이트 publisher,¡± he continued, adding that, none바카라사이트less, ¡°our favoured option is always going to be a reasonably priced big dealé¢.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com