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Crisis in Scholarly Communication

The Problem

The nature of scholarly communication has changed drastically over the past decade, creating challenges and opportunities that require attention by faculty, administrators and librarians at academic institutions. With advances in technology resulting in changes in speed of communication, media format, user behavior and expectation, the current model of scholarly publishing is no longer sufficient to meet the needs of scholars producing and consuming information today.

[ Summary of issues ] [ Journal price stats ] [ Journal usage stats ]


Summary:

What is happening?

Differing motives

Unfortunate Consequences

What can faculty do?

 


University of Kentucky journal price stats:

Subscriptions Exceeding $10,000 for 2004+

Journal Title

Price

Vendor*

Nature
(including print and all online sections and Reviews)
$34,965 N
Nuclear Physics $27,119 E
Brain Research $22,852 E
Physica $22,696 E
Journal of Comparative Neurology $20,239.97 W
Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics $20,549 E
Physics Letters $19,356 E
Journal of Applied Polymer Science $16,071.69 W
Tetrahedron $16,251 E
Biochimica Biophysica Acta $15,886 E
Journal of Chromatography $15,533 E
Journal of Materials Science $10,650 K
Journal of Molecular Structure (with Theochem) $14,135 E
Surface Science $13,879 E
Electronics and Communications in Japan $12,379.79 W
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology $13,280 E
Journal of Polymer Science $11,903.41 W
Chemical Physics Letters $12,626 E
Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry $12,206 E
Tetrahedron Letters $11,838 E
Thin Solid Films
(includes use for Organic Electronics)
$11,722 E
Mutation Research $11,705 E
Journal of Organometallic Chemistry $11,329 E
Twenty-three titles costing a total: $379,171.86
* E = Elsevier; W = Wiley; K = Kluwer; N = Nature Publishing Group
+ Costs include print plus online access

 

Subscriptions Exceeding $10,000 for 2003

Price Per Use

Journal Title

Price

Vendor*

Electronic Use

Print Use

Print coverage

$42.93 Nuclear Physics $23,701 E 486 Pt. A-B: 66 1967-
$5.88 Brain Research $19,971    E 3351 42 1966-
$20.43 Physica $19,898 E 959 Pt. A-E: 15 1975-
$12.75 Journal of Comparative Neurology $19,276 W 1484 28 1911-
$63.68 Nuclear Instrumentation & Methods   in Physics $17,959 E 281 Pt.A-B: 1 1984-
$45.11 Physics Letters $16,915 E 336 Pt. A-B : 39 1967-
$34.01 Journal of Applied Polymer Science $15,306.37 W 439 11 1959-
$9.10 Tetrahedron $14,203 E 1550 11 1957-
$5.87 Biochimica Biophysica Acta $13,884 E 2321 41 1947-
$2.24 Journal of Chromatography $13,586      E 1601 Pt.A-B : 1 1997-
$52.79 Journal of Molecular Structure $12,353 E 234 0 1967-
$36.53 Surface Science $12,129 E 330 2 1964-
$3930.09 Electronics and Communications in Japan $11,790.27 W 3 0 1985-
$19.54 Comparative Biochemistry and Physics $11,606 E 593 1 2000-
$34.88 Journal of Polymer Science $11,336.58  W 324 Pt. A-C.:  1 1986-
  Chemical Physics Letters $11,033 E 869 2 1967-
$78.11 Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry $10,857 E 139 2 1992-
$6.90 Tetrahedron Letters $10,345 E 1488 11 1957-
$17.34 Thin Solid Films
(includes use for Organic Electronics)
$10,244 E 586 5 1967-
$15.29 Mutation Research $10,230 E 664 5 1964-
$23.13 Journal of Organometallic Chemistry $9901 E 428 9  

Twenty-one titles costing a total:

$296,524.22

* E = Elsevier; W = Wiley

 


University of Kentucky journal usage stats:

Journals Used 10 Times or Fewer in 2003+

Journal Title

Price

Vendor*

Electronic use

Print use

Print coverage

Annalen der Physik $678.27 W 0 1 1900-
Annals of Pure & Applied Logic $2,199 E 0 0 1983-
Arthropod Structure & Development $1031 E 5 0 2000-
Atmospheric Environment $5,040 E 0 0 1994-
Chemical Engineering J. $2179 E 4 0 1996-
Comptes Rendus Mathematique $820 E 5 0 2002-
Comptes Rendus Mecanique $350 E 5 0 2002-
Computers and Electrical Engineering $1402 E 8 0 1973-
Electrical Engineering in Japan $5,892.30 W 4 0 1987-
Electronics and Communications in Japan $11,790.27 W 3 0 1985-
Geological Journal $1,012 W 3 0 1964-
Heat Transfer   $3,850 W 6 1 1972-
Historia Mathematica $263 E 1 0 1974-
Int’l. J. for Numerical & Analytical Methods in Geomechanics        $3,572.81 W 10 1 1977-
Int’l. J. of Accounting $329 E 8 0 1989-
Int’l. J. Circuit Theory & Applications $3,079.43 W 0 0 1973-
Int’l. J. Forecasting $534 E 10 0 1985-
Int’l. Rev. of Law & Economics $479 E 8 0 1981-
Journal of Forecasting $1077.51 W 5 0 1982-
Journal of Number Theory $1945 E 8 1 1969-
Journal of Photochemistry & Photobiology C: Photochemistry Revs. $7,272 E 3 0 2000-
Journal of Robotic Systems $2,267.32 W 0 1 1984-
Materials Science & Engineering             $1139 E 0 Pt.A:12

Pt.B: 0

1988-
Mathematische Nachrichten $3,513.83 W 3 0 1948-
Naval Research Logistics          $1,281.67 W 9 0 1987-
Operations Research Letters $541 E 8 0 1981-
Physics and Chemistry of the Earth            $2150 E 9 0 2002-
Progress in Solid State Chemistry             $754 E 4 0 1964-
Prostaglandins and other Lipid Mediators $1431 E 2 0 1998-
Resource and Energy Economics $547 E 10 0 1993-
Sociologie du Travail    $124 E 4 0 1959-
Studies in the History & Philosophy of Science, Pt. C $884  for A-C E 8 0 1970-
Systems and Computers in Japan $4,860.16 W 2 0 1985-
Thunderbird International Business Review $482.04 W 4 0 1998-
Topology          $1400 E 2 0 1962-
Topology and its Applications: $2939 E   1 1980-
Wave Motion   $852 E 10 0 1979-

Thirty-seven titles with a total cost of:

$79,961.61

used a total 177 times in 2003 for an average cost per use of $451.76.

* E = Elsevier; W = Wiley
+ Most Medical Center titles from Harcourt-Brace imprints were not activated for 2003