E-Journals : Breaking the Pricing Barrier

E-Journals : Breaking the Pricing Barrier through Consortia I.R.N. Goudar* Head, ICAST Poornima Narayana** Deputy Head, ICAST National Aerospace Laboratories Bangalore – 560 017 E-mail: *goudar@css.nal.res.in **poornima@css.nal.res.in

Full text Back issues- Pre-web + PDF files HTML files Advanced search features References linked to full text and related articles Additional colour possible Expanded papers-access to raw data Graphics, video and sound, if required Comprehensive help Alerting Usage stats for librarians Refereed, but quick E-Journal: Expectations

E-Journals: Major Players • Primary publishers • Aggregators • Vendors • Subscription agents • Document delivery agencies • E-print systems

E-Journal Models • E- journal continues to coexist with its print version. • E-journal replaces its print version. • E-journal gets value addition, but continues to coexist with print. • Print version plus abridged e-version • E-journal only. • E-journal with a facility supply individual articles. • Delayed e-version than its print equivalent. • E-version first and then print.

Journals Publishing Costs: Print Version • First copy costs more - Marginal costs for rest • Article processing costs very high • Refereeing costs • High marketing and admin costs • Low physical distribution costs

Journals Publishing Costs: E-Version • Existing Print Costs + New costs: • Content delivery infrastructure Software, hardware & ISP Customer support Access control • New human resource: Production, IT • Marketing costs • New content costs: tables, maths & chemistry symbols • Meta-data costs • Low distribution costs • Service costs

E-Journals Pricing The e-journal pricing through consortia varies from publishers to publishers and from same publishers to different library groups depending upon number of factors and issues

Price Influencing Factors • Quantum of business • Number of consortia members • Types of institutions • Contract period • Number of IP enabled nodes • Number of campuses • Value added services • Rights to archive • Perpetual access • Training facilities • Multi year agreement

Pricing Models • No Universally Acceptable E-journals Pricing and Licensing Models • Ongoing experimentation • Negotiation possible • Charge for content • Delivery format optional • Increasingly will be based on usage

Pricing Models in Operation • Bundled – Free with print • AIP, APS, AMS, Elsevier, Wiley • Print as base + surcharge on electronic • Premium payments range from10-25% • ACS, OSA • Electronic only • Small increase - ACS • Same price - OSA • Discount from print AIP, AMS • Totally unbundled – No discount for both • JBC (P=x, E=y, P+E=x+y) • Free e-version only • Charge for print if required • British Medical Journal Continue…

…Continued Pricing Models in Operation • Membership/Community Fee • Sponsorship/Advertising/Govt. Funding • Authors funded – Page charges • Usage based pricing • - Concurrent users • - Site population • - Based on FTE • All titles of publishers with print optional • Subject clusters • Virtual Journals: Narrow subject from single/multiple collection • Pay–per–view: Credit cards, Deposit accounts • Free completely – Differently funded • Extra fee for software Continue…

Readers Enhanced content critical mass multimedia, more colour, additional data, ‘live’ math Enhanced functionality powerful search, alerting Seamless access ubiquitous access to past and present Powerful links abstracts to full text Authors Quality imprint journal brand stamp of authority improved visibility Better author service responsiveness faster publication times web-submissions, web peer review Customers Expectations

…Continued Pricing Models in Operation • Separate Current (1-2 years) + Archive • Extra for value added services • Consortium discount • Number of sites • Consortium surcharge • Access to all consortia titles • All titles of publisher • Subscription to core titles – Rest pay-per-view • Slice and dice pricing • Single article sales • Deposit accounts • Article bundles • Current and archive subscriptions

Libraries: Expectations & Experiences • Flexibility for cancellations and multi-year deals • Quick and Simplified Negotiations • Single offers cannot meet all needs • Pricing options desirable • Extended electronic access desirable • Unresolved terms and conditions • Publishers are experimenting with pricing • Clarity on VAT • Regional, State, National consortia can be influential • Option for Unbundling electronic from print • Mixed views for access to all titles of publishers • Price alone is not the only factor (licence, archiving)

Experiences of Publishers • Some publishers’ systems not ready for e-only • Parallel publishing environment • Test bed for electronic pricing & consortia policies • Protection of current revenue • Closer to the market (community feedback) • Guarantee of new subscriptions? • VAT • Consistency with consortia overseas • Challenges traditional pricing & ‘selling’ of information

Consortia Consortia is a Strategic Alliance of Institutions that have Common Interests

So…….. There is a need for striking the balance between cooperation and competition both among libraries and among publishers. Both publishers and libraries should look for sustainable economic models based on values. This is where Consortia can play a major play.

Consortia Challenges • Access control and portals • New price models • Transition to e-only • Perpetual access • Archiving • Tight budgets

Consortia Goals • Increase the access base More e-Journals • Rational utilization of funds A little more pays a lot • Ensure the continuous subscription • Qualitative resource sharing Effective document delivery service • Avoid price plus models Pay for up-front products not for R&D

…Continued Consortia Goals • Improved infrastructure • Enhanced image of the library Visibility for smaller libraries • Improve existing library services Boosting professional image • Harness developments in IT Facilitate building digital libraries • Cost sharing for technical and training support Access from desktops of users • Increase user base

Consortia Services • Union catalogues • Books, Journals, Technical Reports and Conference Proceedings • Shared library systems • Hardware, Software and other infrastructure • Shared professional expertise • Develop and realize consortia goals • Human resource development • Training staff and users • Electronic contents licensing for providing access to • Bibliographic databases, e-Journals, Full test reports, Conference • Proceedings etc. • Inter Library Lending and Document Delivery ….contd.

…Continued Consortia Services • Electronic content loading Contents generated by members and acquired on common server • Physical storage for archiving • Old back volumes and less used documents • Seminar/training programmes • Professional development to serve user community • Development of enabling technologies • IR systems, Portals and other web interfaces • Evolve standards for techniques, hardware, software and services

Consortia Models Participants Oriented Models • Geographical location linked Ex: - Bangalore Special Libraries Group • Libraries in the same discipline Ex: - Aerospace Libraries Group • Libraries belonging to the same parent organization Ex: - CSIR LICs • Libraries of academic organizations Ex: - INFLIBNET

Consortia Models Purpose Oriented Models • Consortia for accessing electronic journals • Consortia for avoiding duplicate collection • Consortia for training and library workshops

Consortia Models Client Oriented Models • Clients according to their age Ex: - Children, Senior Citizen • Clients according to their interest Ex: - sports, game • Clients according to their educational background Ex: - Technical, Professional

Consortia Negotiation Objectives • Discounts for electronic journals • Ideally, choice of electronic-only • Added value • Standardised licensing • Single year agreements • Extended electronic access • Capped annual inflation • Price including Back files • Maintain existing spend level • Limit on cancellations • Print optional at deep discount

Consortia Values Libraries Vs Publishers

Pricing Models “No universally acceptable pricing models, but ongoing experimentation with lot of scope for negotiation”

Innovative Initiatives • Academic self publishing • Journal of High Energy Physics - SISSA • e-prints (see arXiv.org) • Open Archives Initiative (OAI) • Library initiatives • HighWire Press - U Stanford Library • ‘Digital’ Press • Ingenta, HighWire • Government-funded initiatives • PubMedCentral (NIH), SPARC (ARL) • Archival approaches • JSTOR • Creating online communities, portals • ChemWeb, optics.org, NanoTechWeb • Journal deconstruction • ‘Virtual’ Journals

E-prints Archives • Physics E-Print Archive (www.arxiv.org) - started by Paul Ginsparg (high energy physicist) in 1991 - hosted by Los Alamos National Lab and recently moved to Cornell U - supported by academic, government funding • Free at point of use, very popular >167,000 submissions since launch in August 1991 • Subject based

A Lot More for a Little Extra • Access to all titles of publishers for little surcharge • Multi year agreements with fixed annual price cap • Users happy – Wider access • Publishers happy – Guaranteed revenue, greater visibility of titles • But what about non-major publishers? • Discount on multiple print copies

Pricing Models: Issues • Underlying Prices should be publishers’ responsibility. • Pricing should be market- based not formulaic. • Senior scientists/ librarians may resistant to the transition from print to electronic. • Small publishers like professional societies not enthusiastic about consortia pricing. • Publisher – Customer disconnect • Perception: Electronic Costs less than Print • Reality: Electronic + Print costs more than Print

Trends in Pricing Models • Increasing numbers offer electronic-only version • Virtual Journals • Continued experimentation of models • More publishers to offer consortia pricing • More subject specific packages • Price decreasing • More will offer pay-per-view/transactional allowance • Print as ‘add on’: Optional at discounted price • Choice of format and added functionality • Pricing based on size (FTEs, research activity) • Ongoing access to core and occasional to peripheral material • The increasing archive will have a price on it

Funding Geographical Coverage Strategic Mission Library Types Consortia Issues Payment Programs Practical Staffing Service Technology Governance Strong Links make Strong Consortia Tactical

Indian Consortia Initiatives • INDEST (IISc, IITs, IIMs, …..)…MHRD • Consortia of IIMs • CSIR Consortia • RGUHS: HELINET • FORSA (Forum for Resource Sharing in Astronomy and Astrophysics) • ICICI- Knowledge Park • ISRO Initiative • INFLIBNET Initiative

Consortia Constraints Specific to Indian Libraries • Lack of awareness about consortia benefits • Slow acceptance of e-information by the users. • Difficulties in changing the mind setup of librarians • Maintenance and balancing both physical and DL • Inadequate funds • Single point payment • Rigid administrative, financial and auditing rules • Problems of defining asset against payment

Consortia Constraints Specific to Indian Libraries • Pay-Per-View not yet acceptable • Uncertainty about the persistence of digital resources. • Lack of infrastructure for accessing electronic sources • Unreliable telecom links and insufficient bandwidth ( But lot of developments in pipeline) • Lack of appropriate bibliographic tools • Lack of trained personnel for handling new technologies • Absence of strong professional association • Big brother attitude

Difficult Issues Pricing • develop more, workable models • develop models that can be understood • identify pricing incentives • subscription/site vs. transactional choices • Prices commensurate with value being added? • shouldn’t the electronic environment be more • affordable than print? Perpetual Access and Archiving • What does customer get at end of contract? is there a residual product? • Is it a useful residual? • Is there any ownership of a physical artifact (cd, tape, etc.)? • Is backup allowed? • Who does all this and at what cost? • What do we all really want/need here?

Thank You

E-Journals : Breaking the Pricing Barrier