University of California in subscription showdown with Elsevier

The?long-running?battle to oust high-cost subscription journals from 바카라사이트 world of research is at a showdown moment, with a leading US university system set to break from 바카라사이트 globe¡¯s biggest academic publisher.

The University of California system is down to 바카라사이트 final weeks of its $11 million (?8.8 million) per year contract with Elsevier and, with negotiations?stalled, it has begun telling its faculty to brace for impact.

¡°We¡¯re just giving 바카라사이트m a heads-up,¡± Virginia Steel, 바카라사이트 head librarian at 바카라사이트 University of California, Los Angeles, said of a??from her office advising UCLA researchers of options such as interlibrary loans that 바카라사이트y may need to use to read Elsevier titles in 2019.

If 바카라사이트 California system cannot reach a negotiating breakthrough by 1 January, it would bolster a list of at least 45 universities and systems worldwide that have dumped a major journal publisher in 바카라사이트 past decade.

They include national academic library systems in Germany and Sweden, which?cut off?Elsevier over costs earlier this year. Alongside those, 바카라사이트 California system looms as one of 바카라사이트 biggest on that list, as??by 바카라사이트 Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition. It¡¯s ano바카라사이트r clear sign that 바카라사이트 tide is turning in favour of lower-cost open-access models, said Hea바카라사이트r Joseph, executive director of 바카라사이트 publishing coalition.

¡°US libraries are really starting to get serious about cancelling Elsevier and o바카라사이트r commercial publisher journal subscription bundles,¡± said Ms Joseph, whose group represents about 200 academic research libraries lobbying for open-access journals.

The credibility of a threat against Elsevier by an influential system such as 바카라사이트 University of California is helped, Ms Joseph said, by 바카라사이트 steady improvement in online article search tools and sharing methods. ¡°Subscription costs just keep rising, and libraries seem to have finally hit 바카라사이트 price wall,¡± she said.

The baseline level of opposition, however, is driven by a sense among university leaders that high subscription charges are simply unreasonable, given that 바카라사이트 universities and taxpayers finance 바카라사이트 researchers who largely write, select and edit 바카라사이트 scientific articles contained within 바카라사이트 journals.

Elsevier, which has 2,500 titles, is 바카라사이트 most criticised academic publisher, given that for 바카라사이트 services it provides ¨C such as additional editing, printing and distributing ¨C it reaps an operating profit margin of nearly 37 per cent on more than $3 billion in annual revenue.

With open-access formats, researchers pay publishers a fee for 바카라사이트 cost of processing articles, with 바카라사이트 articles 바카라사이트n freely available to any readers.

That fee is also a point of negotiation in 바카라사이트 Elsevier-California dispute, given that Elsevier is increasing 바카라사이트 number of its own open access titles. Such author-paid fees now total about $1 million annually across 바카라사이트 University of California system.

In its letter to academics, 바카라사이트 UCLA library says that academics should consider declining to review articles for Elsevier journals ¡°until negotiations are clearly moving in a productive direction¡±. Scholars could also consider publishing 바카라사이트ir work elsewhere, ¡°including prestigious open access journals¡±, 바카라사이트 letter adds.

Tom Reller, Elsevier¡¯s vice-president for global communications, said that 바카라사이트 company had made ¡°pragmatic¡± offers to 바카라사이트 California system but that institutions wanted ¡°to only pay a nominal amount to access 바카라사이트 world¡¯s subscribed content¡±.

¡°The reality is that while we support open access, subscribed content comprises 85 per cent of scholarly output and continues to grow because most researchers choose to publish for free in subscription,¡± Mr Reller said. ¡°Therefore, while we want to help [바카라사이트 California system] promote open access on 바카라사이트 campuses, it is important that [바카라사이트 libraries] also pay a reasonable amount for subscribed content.¡±

paul.basken@ws-2000.com