Serials prices: Column 6

Serials Prices: Column 6

October Ivins

Ivins is head of Serials Services at Louisiana State University Libraries, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Acknowledgments: The editor gratefully ac- knowledges the contributions of the following individuals: Marcia Anderson, Arizona State Univer- sity; Pat Auflick, University of Arizona; Chuck Hamaker, Louisiana State University; Don Jaeger, Alfred Jaeger, Inc.; Travis Leach, University of Arizona; Barbara Meyers, Meyers Consulting; Kathyrn O'Gorman, Wright State University; Ann Okerson, Jerry Alper, Inc.; and Mary Ryan, Univer- sity of Arkansas.

I N T R O D U C T I O N

The most significant new development this quarter is the bankruptcy of USBE; reactions from Ann Okerson and Don Jaeger, as well as the editor, are presented. A report on the serials pricing aspects of the 1989 Charleston Acquisitions Conference is given. The News and Notes section includes items about three publishers--Gordon and Breach; Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., Publishers; and Springer-Verlag New York--and a retraction. Annotated references to selected related publications resume, with seven research articles and nine others cited.

R E A C T I O N S TO U S B E B A N K R U P T C Y

Agnes Griffen, president of the board of USBE (Universal Serials and Book Exchange), announced in an undated memo that a petition for bankruptcy was effective 12 September 1989. The U.S. Bank- ruptcy Court announcement, dated 19 October 1989, listed assets of $0.02 and debts of $1,544,185.58. USBE performed an important service by acting as a clearinghouse for material that would otherwise have been discarded by one library but was needed by another. As individuals, we hold many opinions about the causes for the firm's demise; as a community, we have lost an important service and must determine how the role USBE served will be fulfilled. Representatives of two back file dealers have agreed to share their comments: Ann Okerson from Jerry Alper, Inc. and Don Jaeger from Alfred Jaeger, Inc. Additional editorial remarks will follow Oker- son's overview and Jaeger's practical advice.

SERIALS REVIEW WINTER 1989 65

Ann Okerson, Manager

It 's a bit sensitive to comment , for a reader - ship of several thousand l ibrarians, on the demise of USBE, possibly viewed somewhat as our competi tor, but it 's an intr iguing oppor tuni ty . Over the past f i f t een years, l ibrarians have seen a great deal of a t t r i t ion and consolidation in the book and periodical business. While everyone is very much aware of such trends among subscript ion agents and purveyors of current monographs , they may be less aware of them in the retrospect ive business. No doubt that is because the shrinking port ion of the "discretionary" budget makes such dealers invisible to libraries.

Nonetheless, seasoned serials and collections l ibrarians r e m e m b e r the repr inters who used to produce sets and back files in large numbers at large prices. They recall the large warehouses full of millions of volumes of re t rospect ive inventory. Very little of that exists in 1989. Why? The answer to that is not so d i f fe ren t than the answer for other areas of l ibrary acquisitions.

The l ibrary marke t has changed a great deal in the past decade:

Maintaining l ibrary budgets has been a s t rug- gle. Some factors are the escalating costs of subscr ipt ion and cur rent monographs , as well as the compet i t ion for acquisit ion dollars by new formats and media. The compet i t ion for l ibrary resources and the increasing volume of in format ion available has accelerated collection sharing and lending, now an integral e lement in l ibrary philosophy. Resource sharing has been enhanced by de- ve lopment of online and union catalogs. Libraries and their patrons are increasingly tolerant of the idea of "getting" the in fo rma- tion ra ther than storing it. Rapid del ivery services and fax make this idea palatable. Even i f they had a great deal of money, libraries are short of space.

So, the compuls ion for completeness of collections disappears , as does the requi rement for complete runs of journals and complete binding units. A corol lary is that any business predicated upon meet ing l ibrary needs for collecting comple te - ness is vir tual ly doomed to failure. There is s imply not an adequate cus tomer base to support that business philosophy. In the context of the world, and of l ibraries, as having changing needs over t ime, coupled with western ideas of the se l f -ad- just ing marketp lace , the passing of USBE is an organic evolution.

In addit ion, those of us who as serials l ibrarians (I am one of them) have watched USBE strug-

gle for years in its a t tempt to meet the needs of its membersh ip on a n o t - f o r - p r o f i t basis. At the same t ime as it t r ied to run as a business, it accepted too m a n y materials f r o m its libraries, sup- ported a massive warehouse, was viewed as not providing a very alert, f lexible service, and charged per- issue prices that were becoming very high. Perhaps it t r ied to pe r fo rm too many di f ferent kinds of services: b roker sets and collections, fill in back file runs, and sell single issues.

At one t ime (having been asked by its man- agement for suggestions) we advised USBE that it might provide an essential l ibrary service and f ind its niche in concentrat ing on what it was able to do best and regularly received free stock to do: provide f i l l - in issues O N L Y to the l ibrary community. This is an area in which the most reliable source has general ly been the publisher, at prevail ing prices (i.e., of ten expensive). But these days, even the publisher is unwill ing or unable to carry stock very far back. Single issue supply is a real l ibrary need in which few commercia l dealers are willing to specialize solely. Such a specialization (and cor- responding cu tback on inventory) might have pre- served the organization. All this is hindsight. Clearly the leadership and s taf f struggled hard for many years.

How does another dealer v iew the loss of such "competi t ion?" The reader might be surprised at our point of v i e w - - w i t h great regret. Unlike the current book and periodical business, where any dealer may obtain stock f r o m the publisher, the ant iquar ian business depends on serendipitous and opportunis t ic sources of supply. We all get the best stock we can f rom the best sources we have. Not inf requent ly , we buy f rom each other to supply our l ibrary customers. When a supplier goes out of business, it potential ly fu r ther diminishes our ease and abili ty in getting materials. In very practical terms, we are saddened to see our colleagues retire, sell, and close down their businesses or file bankrup tcy , when that happens.

What keeps an o.p. dealer in business these d a y s - - t h e same characterist ics required in any other business or in l ibraries for that matter: sound f inan- cial pract ices and backing; a clear focus on who the customer is; versati l i ty, f lexibil i ty, and a will ing- ness to adapt to changing times; strong, responsive customer services. It 's a challenge to all of us.

Okerson is manager of L ib ra ry Services, Jerry Alper, Inc.

Don Jaeger, Vice President

The closing of USBE has caused a great deal of concern among serials l ibrarians who are still interested in ordering single issues to complete

66 SERIALS REVIEW WINTER 1989

their back volumes, and in disposing of duplicate journals f r o m their collections. True, the day of the seven-dol la r issue is over. Nevertheless , various al ternat ives are available as some back volume vendors still provide a single issue service.

An initial suggestion is that each l ibrary should analyze the cause of its single issue p r o b - lem and establish a replacement policy. What causes these lacking issues? Are they stolen f rom the l ibrary? Are they no longer available according to the publ isher , or are they repor ted out of pr int by a subscr ip t ion vendor? More t imely claiming with good f o l l o w - u p and bet ter securi ty may reduce the numbers of missing issues. Policies should recognize types of materials that are poor order possibilities (popular magazines; issues older than two or three years; issues repor ted out of pr int by the publisher) . Few libraries will choose to a t - t empt to obtain replacements for all missing issues; once a pol icy is established, selection of a back volume vendor who draws upon the addit ional r e - sources of a quali ty inventory, a vendor ne twork , and viable secondhand marke t can present a cost- effect ive solution.

Any t ime a new vendor is considered, the customer should investigate its ordering, payment , and related policies. Guidelines for libraries that permit a vendor to handle single issue inquiries on a cos t -e f fec t ive basis follow:

.

.

.

Consolidate all requests and arrange them in a list a lphabetical ly, stating the issue, vol - ume, and year required. (Single title slips are discouraged.) This request list would be handled on an open order basis only, which means that any items found in stock would be shipped and billed at that t ime, with the balance of the items cancelled. (Some exceptions would occur in which the vendor would search fur ther than stock.) General ly , quotations for individual issues are not cost effect ive , and quite of ten items are sold prior to receipt of the con- f i rming order. To protec t against any exorbi tant prices, it is suggested the l ibrary set a realistic price limit of $25. to $30. per issue. Any issue over this l imit would be quoted prior to shipping, and subjec t to approval. Of course, any issues costing less than this amount would be pr iced accordingly. I f a ma jo r i ty of issues within a volume are required, a complete volume would be sub- sti tuted as a more cos t -e f fec t ive alternative.

Finally, what the vendor requires f rom a library selling their duplicate journals is an al- phabet ical list o f their holdings by title stating

volumes, years, bindings, and any lacking issues. The material must be in good to excellent condition. Complete volumes are prefer red ; however , some exceptions do occur. As an added incentive, back volume vendors pay all f re ight charges relating to the purchase, but will not accept a shipment without knowing its contents. Payment can be made by check or credit memo.

Jaeger is vice president at Al f red Jaeger, Inc.

What Can Libraries Do Now?

Okerson and Jaeger have provided some val- uable insights into the marke tp lace and internal procedures of back file dealers. Gr i f f en ' s explanation of why USBE failed, f r o m her undated memo, agrees in large part with Okerson 's ideas:

While membersh ip in USBE has remained relat ively consistent for the past several years, the purchase of single copies and back files of serials, the mainstay of its income, has decl ined steadily. Staff cuts were made and new marke t ing stra- tegies were a t tempted. In addition, new ventures in fund raising and new roles for USBE were explored. Despite these actions and effor ts , no rel ief to the decl in- ing revenues was found.

The Board at tr ibutes the declining revenues to several changing patterns in the world of libraries. The success of resource sharing, the advent of electronic informat ion , increasing rel iance on micro- formats , and l ibrary budget pressures are today 's l ibrary realities.

In addit ion, the t rend in libraries to focus on access rather than ownership seems in part to be a response to reduced availabil i ty and increased cost of back files; this is a cyclical relationship. Fewer U.S. commerc ia l publishers maintain back files, and one reason is apparen t ly the Thor Power Tool tax ruling, which makes the maintenance of back runs more expensive. 1 Some publishers who do mainta in back files now increase the price to that of the current volume; in these cases, prices f rom a back file vendor (who purchases f rom l ibraries) can be considerably lower. Maintaining an exten- sive inventory of back issues is a complex and expensive proposi t ion, and back issue dealers have unders tandably avoided compet ing with USBE, who obtained its inventory f ree of charge. As a result, fewer and fewer dealers handle orders for single issues. Some USBE practices, such as not reporting when orders could not be filled, and what many


experienced as a declining fill rate, also con- tributed to increasing library reliance on alternative sources and/or suppliers.

The library budget pressures Griffen and Okerson mention are also critical. If a library is cancelling current subscriptions to stay within its budget, it is likely that funding and staff limita- tions reduce back issue ordering as well.

So where do we go from here? USBE still seems like a wonderful idea, but an outstanding debt of $1.5 million will not encourage prospective successors. What other sources are available? Are they adequate to handle the apparently reduced demand, or will we, as a community, want to create other alternatives?

Purchase Sources

Both Jaeger and Alper handle serial back files, while Jaeger is the only dealer (of whom we are aware) that handles a significant volume of single issue orders. Additional dealers specialize in certain subject areas or publishers, and offer varying ranges of service. Travis Leach, University of Arizona, has volunteered to compile a directory of free and purchase back issue and back file suppliers. Please send information about additional suppliers to him or to the column editor. (Travis Leach, University of Arizona Library, Serials De- partment, Tucson, AZ 85721; (602) 621-6421).

Free Sources

ALA and MLA operate sources on a cost re- covery basis, where the participating libraries pay postage, and so on. The Duplicates Exchange Union is a committee of the American Library Associa- tion, Association for Library Collections and Tech- nical Services. Kathryn Chilson O'Gorman, Wright State University, chair, can provide information about the union at (513) 873-3034. The Medical Library Association has a similar program for members; information can be obtained by writing to: Medical Library Association, Duplicates Exchange, Suite 300, No. 6 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60602. EBSCO Subscription Services has oper- ated a Missing Copy Bank for its customers for several years.

Marcia Anderson, Arizona State University, reports that Pat Auflick, in the Rural Health Of- fice at the University of Arizona, is coordinating a regional duplicates exchange program for medical journals. The guidelines are clear and workable; they describe a quarterly dissemination of availa- bility lists to participating institutions. Those interested in participating or in establishing a similar program can obtain a copy of the guidelines by

calling Ms. Auflick at (602) 626-7946 or from the column editor.

The Future?

In general, back issue supply is recognized to be labor intensive and expensive for both vendor and client; no vendor seems eager to step into USBE's role. For the immediate future, the most efficient and cost-effective means of supply may be local or regional exchange consortia. In this continuum of supply and demand, the growing dif- ficulty and expense of filling back issue orders will probably create a climate in which libraries will increasingly choose access instead of ownership. If back issue ordering becomes an outdated luxury, what are the implications for back file ordering? In this context, electronic access seems to offer the best solution.

NOTE

1. "The Thor Inventory Ruling: Fact or Fiction? Its Effect on Publishers' Journal Inventories, Library Acquisitions Procedures and Vendor Attitudes" is the title of a workshop presented by Don Jaeger, Lenore Wilkas (University of Pennsylvania), and Marcia Anderson (Arizona State University) at the North American Serials Interest Group Conference, 3-6 June 1989.

RECENT INTERNATIONAL MEETING

Charleston Conference Issues in Book and Serial Acquisition:

Remembrance of Things Past 9-11 November 1989, Charleston, South Carolina

Compared to the 1988 conference, there were more attendees (315, up from 233) and fewer speakers (33, down from 40). The range of topics was again very broad, covering everything from the bid process to acquiring new technologies to exclusive distribution arrangements. The full program left little time for discussion. Several of the topics covered serial pricing issues, and a summary of those presentations follows.

The meeting opened with a panel called "Publish or Perish: Doing It Whose Way?" Ted Colton, a faculty member at the Boston University School of Public Health and editor of a commercial journal, discussed peer review and the publication process. He concluded that the method, although imperfect, offers the best opportunity for quality control. Two lawyers from the firm Schiff, Hardin & Waite in Chicago, gave some of the most interesting pre-


sentations. Todd Parkhurst discussed intellectual property rights in the context of copyright laws and photocopying. He suggested that library consortia making use of widespread photocopying will precipitate more lawsuits from publishers. William Hannay was more encouraging in his discussion of anti-trust and collusion law. He explained that when libraries act as consumers, that is, with an absence of commercial intent but for the social or political good, they will probably be protected from conviction on collusion charges. He described legislation to date and pointed out that the law has not been challenged on this point yet. Hannay encouraged librarians to pursue their rights as consumers and give the legal system an opportunity to respond.

Several publishers responded. Pieter Bolman, Pergamon Press, stated that, to retain market share and profitability, a publisher must increase prices 8 percent per year regardless of inflation and exchange rate considerations. He suggested that libraries reduce staff and other areas to meet increased subscription prices. He agreed that publishers compete for the best authors and articles and librarians must base cancellation decisions on quality. Eric Newman, Butterworths, gave a history of European publishing that explained the domi- nance of European publishers in scientific/technical and medical (STM) fields.

Later that day, three speakers addressed the ARL Project on Serials Prices. Duane Webster, ARL executive director, described the project and gave an update on how its recommendations are being implemented. Jolanda von Hagen, president of Springer-Verlag New York, described errors in the report, such as many inhouse expenses that were not considered. She denied that ARL had requested such information before the report was issued, and said ARL has not yet accepted the offer she made in June 1989 to convene major STM publishers to provide such information. Michael Keller, Yale, placed the ARL report in context by citing the earlier work done by Astle, Tuttle, and Hamaker (among others). While acknowledging the report's significance, he cautioned that the ARL initiative should not preclude other activities. He suggests that solutions will include new methods of information dissemination and reform of the tenure granting process. Finally, Barbara Meyers, Meyers Consulting, pointed out the negative aspects of the report. She cautioned that the report has the potential of further polarizing librarians and publishers at a time when we must work to- gether to find solutions. Her depiction of the "bal- loon environment" in which every action will have an impact was well taken.

Two days later, a serials pricing update was given. John Merriman, Blackwells, used overheads

and handouts to present percentage price increase figures for 1990, based on his firm's records. Euro- pean publishers' increases average 7.8 percent, while U.S. ones average 9.6 percent in the U.S. and 10.4 percent overseas. He also discussed the comparison of society to commercial publisher prices cited in his recent Nature article. Another speaker, Peter Young, the Faxon Institute, gave 1989 price increase information. He suggested that new price study models are needed, and encouraged librarians to get involved in research.

The "keynote" speech was again last. Edwin Shelock, Royal Society of Chemistry, reminded librarians that their most important role is to ensure that the serials and books they purchase are of the highest possible quality. If librarians put their effort into developing methods of evaluating quality and act on the results of such studies, the poor quality publications will be forced out of business.

Papers from the conference will be published. Nearly half of those given at the 1988 conference have been published in Library Acquisitions." Practice and Theory 13, no. 2 (1989). The four most con- cerned with serials pricing are by Gordon Graham, Butterworths (p. 103-107); John Tagler, Elsevier (p. 109-113); Sarah Miller McCune, Sage Publications (p. 161-165), and Richard Dougherty, School of Information and Library Science, University of Michigan (p. 187-192). (Please refer to the conference review in an earlier column, SR 15, no. 1 (1989): 74-76.)

NEWS AND NOTES

Coverage of the Gordon and Breach Lawsuit

As mentioned in the last column (SR 15, no. 3, p. 77-78) Gordon and Breach has sued Henry Barschall, professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin, along with the American Institute of Physics and the American Physical Institute. Ongoing cover-age has been provided by the electronic News- letter on Serials Pricing Issues and in several other widely circulated publications, as follows:

Thomas Gaughan, "Journal Publisher Sues Au- thor of Price Study," American Libraries 20, no. 8 (September 1989): 717-18. Ken Kalfus, "Scientific Publisher Sues over Journal Pricing Study," The Scientist 3, no. 17 (4 September 1989): 4, 26. Christine McGourty, "Battle over Value of Words," Nature 341, no. 6240 (28 September 1989): 268. Judith Axler Turner, "Critics Say Publisher's Suit Inhibits Inquiries into Rising Journal Costs," Chronicle of Higher Education 36, no. 8 (25 October 1989): A6. The Turner


article discusses additional suits or threats of suits, and discusses a research article mentioned later in this column: "Survey of Amer- ican Research Journals." Turne r states: "Under new leadership, the AMS plans to publish a survey in November that lists Gordon & Breach journals as among the highest-priced, based on the number of characters. In 1986, the last t ime the society published such a survey, it dropped Gordon & Breach f rom the list af ter the company sent a letter that some in terpre ted as a threat to sue."

Mary Ann Liebert Gives Libraries a Break

Mary Ann Liebert , Inc. Publishers announced a special discount to libraries (averaging 55 percent, with no additional postage and handling charges) to encourage duplicate subscriptions. The letter f rom Ms. Lieber t also reminded subscribers that her f i rm never charges for replacement issues. The of fer expired in July 1989, but grateful writers might ask for a reinstatement of the o f fe r in 1990. Some duplicate subscriptions are just i f ied despite tight budgets; one hopes other publishers will make similar offers.

Springer-Ver lag New York Discont inues Dif ferent ia l Pricing

Stuart Grinel l reported on dif ferent ia l pricing for 1988 and 1989 subscriptions of U.S. published titles to non-U.S, libraries (SR 15, no. 2, p. 11- 13, 33.) Examinat ion of the Springer-Verlag revised price list for 1990 (dated August 1989) indicates that the DM prices are very close _to the U.S. dol- lar prices, using a July 1989 exchange rate. The last page states, "The DM prices quoted in this price list for all Springer-Verlag journals produced in New York are based on a July 1989 exchange rate. We will be reviewing the exchange rate regularly and will r e fund /charge customers if it is found at the end of the year to deviate by more than 5 percent f rom its July 1989 value." Assuming that Springer-Verlag was aware of the Grinell article, we applaud their response.

Correction: Barbara Meyers and SSP

In the last column (SR 15, no. 3, p. 77) we stated that Barbara Meyers, publishing consultant, had been retained by the Society of Scholarly Pub- lishing to conduct a study similar to that done by Economic Consulting Services for the Associa- tion of Research Libraries. This is untrue, and we regret our error.

RECENT RESEARCH P U B L I C A T I O N S

David C. Anderson, "Journals for Academic Veteri- nary Medical Libraries: Price Increases, 1977, 1988 and 1989," Serials Librarian 16, nos. 3/4 (1989): 81-91.

This is Anderson's four th annual survey which analyzes prices of 81 to 87 "core" and 85 "adjunct core" titles. The methodology appears sound and is well described. It is "intended, in part, as an example for studies in other disciplines" (p. 89). Among the most interesting findings are that 25 percent of the core list are commercial ly published, compared to 80 percent of the adjunct core. Addit ion- ally, "The core journal inflation rate is 16.75 percent, lower by 8.23 points than that of the adjunct core at 25.08 percent" (p. 89).

Alfred N. Brandon and Dorothy R. Hill, "Selected List of Books and Journals for the Small Medical Library," Bulletin of the Medical Library Association 77, no. 2 (April 1989): 139-69.

This is the latest biennial update to a list first prepared 20 years ago. Although declining support for hospital libraries may make their efforts "an exercise in futili ty" (p. 140) the authors update their list and provide informat ion about prices. Referr ing to the period 1965 to 1989, "the average price per journal subscription has increased by 633 percent ($13.90 to $101.92)" (p. 143).

Hugh Franklin, "Comparing Quarterly Use Study Results for Marginal Serials at Oregon State Univer - sity," Serials Librarian 16, nos. 1/2 (1989): 109- 22.

This detailed description of a use study of 145 preselected probable low-use titles determined that approximately one- th i rd of the uses were not recorded. It recommends that a continuous survey period of at least one year is necessary.

Peter J. Judge, "Australian Scholarly Journals: An Unseen Crisis," Serials Librarian 16, nos. 3/4 (1989): 119-54.

Based on a sample of journals in the natural and social sciences, Judge concludes that many scholarly journals do not cover their costs and are increasingly subsidized by members of their parent societies or other sources.

H. Craig Petersen, "Variations in Journal Prices: A Statistical Analysis," Serials Librarian 17, nos. 1/2 (1989): 1-9.

Petersen, professor of economics at Utah State Universi ty, applied multiple regression analysis to a random sample of 493 journals. He confirms that journals in the physical sciences, those f rom for-


profit publishers, and those not published in the United States and Canada had significantly higher prices, which cannot be attributed to costs of production and distribution.

"Survey of American Research Journals," Notices of the American Mathematical Society 36, no. 9 (November 1989): 1193-98.

The methodology is explained concisely and journals, giving titles and publishers, are grouped by method of production. The first set of graphs shows comparative data on list price, page counts, and costs for 1,000 characters for 1984, 1986, and 1988. The second set of graphs incorporates cir- culation and pricing factors with characters per page.

Peter R. Young, "Periodical Prices 1987-1989," Serials Librarian 17, nos. 1/2 (1989): 11-37.

Faxon staff have used the company's database in preparing 16 published reports since 1974. Data are presented in eight tables, and findings are discussed.

OTHER SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

Deana L. Astle, "Suicide Squeeze: The Escalating Cost of Scholarly Journals," Academe 75, no. 4 (July/August 1989): 13-17.

Academe, published by the American Associa- tion of University Professors, addressed "the electronic library" with five articles. In hers, Astle succinctly describes the effects of "runaway journal costs" on library acquisitions budgets.

Deana L. Astle, "The Scholarly Journal: Whence or Wither," Journal of Academic Librarianship 15, no. 3 (July 1989): 151-56.

An expansion of Astle's talk delivered at the November 1988 Charleston Acquisitions Conference, this paper focuses on the underlying problems of the scientific information chain, examines possible alternatives, and calls for leadership.

Susan Davis, "The Year's Work in Serials, 1988," Library Resources and Technical Services 33, no. 3 (July 1989): 227-39.

This selective review places "pricing" as the first topic. As a new reviewer, Davis' emphasis on applications is a welcome change.

John B. Merriman, "Publishing and Perishing?" Na- ture 341, no. 6240 (28 September 1989): 349-50.

Merriman, 1989 recipient of the Bowker/U1- rich's Serials Award, was invited to address this topic in 1,500 words. The result is admirable; he explains that new titles are introduced while subscription levels decline, and determines that an increased role by non-commercial publishers is not the solution, since prices are so similar.

Anne B. Piternick, "Attempts to Find Alternatives to the Scientific Journal: A Brief Review," Journal of Academic Librarianship 15, no. 5 (November 1989): 260-66.

This useful review concludes with the sobering finding: "few of the experiments...resulted in lasting changes to individual journal titles, and none has had a major impact on the scientific journal system as a whole."

Gregg Sapp and Peter G. Watson, "Librarian-Faculty Relations during a Period of Journals Cancellations," Journal of Academic Librarianship 15, no. 5 (Novem- ber 1989): 285-89.

This article describes the methods used to solicit faculty input at Idaho State University.

"U.S. R & D Effort Threatened by High Cost of Information," Newsletter (American Council of Learned Societies) 2d ser., 2, no. 2 (Summer 1989): 9.

The article gives a concise overview of the Report of the ARL Serials Prices Project.

(Although this section attempts to alert readers to articles appearing in other publications, two very good articles in the last issue of SR (15, no. 3) should not be missed. They are Karen Dalziel Tallman and J. Travis Leach, "Serials Review and the Three-Year Cancellation Project at the University of Arizona Library" (p. 51-60); and Mary Elizabeth Clack and John Riddick, "The Balance Point: Focus on Serials Issues" (p. 79-85).

COMMENTS OR SUGGESTIONS?

To comment or supply news, please contact October Ivins at (504) 388-4364, or by electronic mail: [email protected] or Ivins on Data- linx. Mailing address: Serials Services Department, 241 Middleton Library, Louisiana State University Libraries, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803. @


Documents

Serials prices: Column 6