Free Pint No.108 - Netherlands, Scholarly Publishing Free Pint "Helping 47,000 people use the Web for their work" http://www.freepint.com/ ISSN 1460-7239 21st March 2002 No.108 > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = IN THIS ISSUE EDITORIAL MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES From Cyndi Schoenbrun FREE PINT BAR & STUDENT BAR In Association with Factiva a Dow Jones & Reuters Company Reviewed by Simon Collery JOBS Knowledge Manager, Library Manager, Researcher Information Scientist, Researcher TIPS ARTICLE "An introduction to the Netherlands on the web" By Briget Lander BOOKSHELF "The Information Professional's Guide to Career Development Online" Reviewed by Diana McAuley FEATURE ARTICLE "Evolution or revolution: the future of scholarly publishing" By Paul Harwood EVENTS, GOLD AND FORTHCOMING ARTICLES CONTACT INFORMATION ONLINE VERSION WITH ACTIVATED HYPERLINKS ADOBE ACROBAT VERSION WITH NEWSLETTER FORMATTING > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = > = = = = = = = = = = = = = ADVERTISEMENT = = = = = = = = = = = = = = INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS AND BOOK LOVERS Discover the perfect way to create a powerful impression and show your professionalism with the Beautiful Greeting Cards, High Quality Prints, Posters and Calendars in the Renaissance Library Collection * Perfect for use in your home, office or library * Lovely gifts for friends, customers, colleagues, family Click here http://www.isim.org for bargains in our Spring Sale. Get our FREE newsletter - send blank email to subscriberlfp@isim.org > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [is1081] > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> ABOUT FREE PINT <<< Free Pint is an online community of information researchers. Members receive this free newsletter every two weeks packed with tips on finding quality and reliable business information on the Internet. Joining is free at and provides access to the substantial archive of articles, book reviews, jobs, industry news & events, with answers to your research questions and networking at the Free Pint Bar. Please circulate this newsletter which is best read when printed out. To receive the Adobe Acrobat version as an attachment or a brief notification it's online, visit . > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = EDITORIAL As you probably know, we do try hard at Free Pint to attend as many information-related conferences as possible. This could be as invited speakers, interested onlookers or members of the press. However, I've felt for a long time that these events never make enough of the one thing that makes them so valuable. Take for instance this week's Internet Librarian conference in London which I attended on Monday. At the end of the day I felt very satisfied with how productive and worthwhile it had been. However, this was nothing to do with the papers being presented or the exhibition floor. It was all about the people I spent time talking to. Some of the meetings were planned, some were impromptu. Some were at the venue, some were in cafes nearby. They were all invaluable though, from simply catching up with friends, to in-depth discussions about the future of Free Pint and the information industry in general. Although it was a productive day out of the office, the thing that frustrates me is that I didn't meet anyone who I didn't already know. Nearly all of the information conferences I've ever attended, be they in the UK, US or wherever, never seem able to encourage like-minded strangers to start networking with each other. Sure, I appreciate the difficulties. It's not like conference organisers can emulate the host at a small dinner party who knows everyone and introduces people to each other with a quick mention of their interests. It's tricky to get a few hundred conference delegates to start playing silly games to break the ice. I don't know how you encourage networking, but there must be a way. There has to be. Why? Because conferences that only focus on the papers being presented will not survive. Their real value is in bringing people together, face-to-face. Doesn't the word 'conference' actually mean people getting together to discuss things? It doesn't mean the one way communication of papers being presented in a lecture theatre with a tiny amount of time for questions. Is it a problem of size? Perhaps one of privacy? What do you think? Maybe I'm the only one who thinks it is a missed opportunity? If you've been to a really good conference where networking was successfully encouraged then please do tell us about it. I have posted this Editorial at the Free Pint Bar and would like to hear your thoughts and ideas. Please reply at . In today's newsletter we've packed in a regional article about Web sites in the Netherlands, a look at the changing world of scholarly publishing and the usual mix of tips and reviews. Don't forget to pass this edition on to your colleagues, and do let us know your ideas for getting the most out of conferences. Best regards William William Hann, Founder and Managing Editor Email: Tel: +44 (0)1784 420044 Free Pint is a Registered Trademark of Free Pint Limited (c) 1997-2002 > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = > = = = = = = = = = = = = = ADVERTISEMENT = = = = = = = = = = = = = = AUTOMATE WEB RESEARCH WITH WEBQL WebQL begins where search engines leave off - with an unmatched ability to make precise Web extractions via flexible, open-ended queries. Once extracted the information can be repurposed into virtually any format or data store. An intelligence gathering solution that's state-of-the-art! To find out more, visit www.affinite.co.uk or call +44 1943 864124. > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [af1082] >>> YOUR EMAIL PUBLICATION COULDN'T BE IN BETTER HANDS <<< Don't take our word for it. Read the testimonials of customers who already host their email newsletter with Free Pint: "We are very pleased with the service provided by Free Pint" ActNow.org.uk > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES From Cyndi Schoenbrun * Access to UNESCO information sources . * Better Business Bureau Company Report Search (U.S.) for checking out a company . * KnowledgePlex (FannieMae) U.S. for information on Affordable Housing and Community Development. * Trade Data Online provides the ability to generate customized reports on Canada and U.S. trade with over 200 countries . * picsearch is a search engine for pictures and images. Cyndi Schoenbrun thrills in discovering useful and unusual web sites, and thus has been granted the title "Serendipity Queen" by her colleagues in the Information Center at Consumer Reports . Email your top five favourite Web sites to or see the guidelines at . > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = > = = = = = = = = = = = = = ADVERTISEMENT = = = = = = = = = = = = = = ***** FACTIVA LEARNING PROGRAMS LAUNCHED ***** Factiva Learning Programs is a comprehensive suite of global learning tools for the enterprise. The suite of programs includes industry-leading e-training, online tutorials and product demos, regular Web-based seminars, targeted reference materials and acclaimed classroom training for corporate knowledge workers and information professionals. Visit http://www.factiva.com/learning > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [fa1083] > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> UK DIRECTORS REVEALED FOR 8 POUNDS, US$11 OR 13 EUROS <<< That's all an "Individual Director Report" costs from the Free Pint UK company research gateway. Perform a search for free, confirm the postcode, then dig the dirt: > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FREE PINT BAR In Association with Factiva a Dow Jones & Reuters Company Reviewed by Simon Collery Free Pint Bar ------------------------------------------- [Note: To read a Bar posting enter the message number in place of XXXXX in the address ] My, oh my, have we had a lot of postings about spam recently (16445, 16424). But it is a most annoying and distracting phenomenon. Luckily, there are a number of simple measures you can take to alleviate the problem somewhat. Do be careful, though, or you may block the wrong mail. There have also been a number of questions from Free Pinters carrying out research in various areas and some have yet to be answered. These include postings about UK National Grid research and development (16388), vendors of mobile office applications (16379), South African clothing brand names (16416), telecoms consumer behaviour (16402), information job descriptions (16606) and the use of interactive technologies in language learning (16526). Any help with these would be greatly appreciated. There were also research questions raised about UK private banking (16471), staff attitude surveys (16383), a UK Department of Environment document (16393), food and drink traceability (16571) and the date for when a certain EU directive comes into effect (16488). Business related queries have been posted about value added taxes in the EU (16346), USA assisted living facilities (16442), resources for SMEs (16409), selling and marketing costs in computer information services (16443) and tracing a US company director (16572). Help has been sought with locating quantitative data on international labour statistics (16473), media response and conversion rates (16420), US sports spectator figures (16545) and UK football attendance figures for the year 2000 (16314). Web resources have been recommended covering things such as finding journals and articles (16553), subscribing to news feeds and digests (16556), researching gambling on the Internet (16394), corporate portal data (16376) and UK legal data (16512). In addition to these, I reviewed a site to help with competitive intelligence research (16614) and one to help out with virus problems (16455). We are still waiting to hear of any sites that have stories and anecdotes suitable for use in speeches (16520), the whereabouts of any research into thesauri (16540) and some thesaurus data for the meat industry (16585). There were also questions about the provenance of a quotation (16345), the accuracy of a Chinese proverb (16485) and the usual few Latin posers (16435, 16580, 16539). Technical queries have been posted about backup strategies (16497), accessing the Internet over a LAN (16398), adding a database to a Web site (16357), a fake virus (16543), indexing PDF files (16474), a lost Outlook Express address book (16617), a useful monitoring tool (16618) and some CD writer problems (16368). Miscellaneous questions have ranged from ones about searching for mortgages in the UK (16427), working from home (16453) and database reviews (16350) to desk rental prices (16483), origami penguin templates (16560) and UK venues for holding get togethers (16559). There have also been postings about finding mandolin lessons (16588), acquiring tapes of a TV show (16591) and identifying a film about a Ugandan game warden (16561). Nothing if not eclectic. [Note: To read a Bar posting enter the message number in place of XXXXX in the address ] Free Pint Student Bar ------------------------------------------------------- [Note: To read a Student Bar posting enter the message number in place of XXXX in the address ] Students have been busying themselves with erudite matters, such as the records of the last session of the French Parliament (2324), customer relationship management (2326), the history of weirs and locks (2352), knowledge management in isolation from IT (2363), historical FT100 data (2380), online children's art collections (2381), art institutions (2342), soccer development (2349), online forums for inventors (2364), new media data (2332) and conserving works created from wax (2374). There have also been postings about how to become a librarian (2355), how to secure a summer internship in London (2361), finding an MBA university in Germany (2335) and finding a film production course (2341). And finally, there are students trying to get in touch with Loughborough students (2344), University College London students (2354) and information science students (2348). [Note: To read a Student Bar posting enter the message number in place of XXXX in the address ] Simon Collery, Content Developer If you have a tricky research question or can help other Free Pinters then do post a message at the Bar or the Student Bar . To have the latest Bar postings sent to you every other day, log in to your account online at . > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Targeted Science and Engineering Information Nerac delivers hard-to-find information from worldwide resources within the next business day. Our search experts locate information on published literature, patents, trademarks and advancements in science and technology. Our resources provide targeted results that save you time and money. To learn more, visit our Web site at www.nerac.com, call 860-872-7000 (U.S.), from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET to speak directly with a Nerac representative or e-mail us at info@nerac.com. > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [ne1084] > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> MANAGE YOUR FREE PINT ACCOUNT IN ONE PLACE <<< Want to change your subscriptions? Set your Bar viewing preferences? View past invoices or company reports you've purchased today? It's all possible by logging in to your account homepage at: > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FREE PINT JOBS As well as the listings below, you might also like to check out the new weekly Bar posting which lists the latest additions to Free Pint Jobs. This week's edition is at . Here are some of the latest featured jobs: Researcher Researcher/Analyst with Corporate Finance experience to work in London. Some travel. 22,500 - 27,500 pounds + Bonus. Recruiter: Glen Recruitment Researcher Leading Management Consultancy requires financial services researcher. Salary 27-34k pounds + benefits. Recruiter: Recruit Media Knowledge Manager Amsterdam calling - work on industry portal, use your KM and French skills. For senior role knowledge of water industry also needed Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited There are also other jobs from organisations like Library Manager at Business a.m. and Information Scientist at ICAR (the Information Centre about Asylum and Refugees in the UK) . [The above jobs are paid listings] Free Pint Jobs is THE place for information-related vacancies. Whether you're job searching or have a position to fill, you should be using Free Pint Jobs. Candidates: It is free to search the database and you can set up a profile to be notified weekly by email of relevant new vacancies. Advertisers: List your vacancies and receive significant publicity. Match your job against the 400+ stored job seeker profiles. Listings start at just 145 pounds (about US$200 or 230 Euros). Find out more today at > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = *** THE ONLINE SERVICE THAT VIRTUALLY ANSWERS EMAILS FOR YOU *** It is estimated that by 2002 workers could be spending up to four hours each day reading and answering emails SupportByEmail.com provides a fast, efficient and affordable way to save time answering queries whilst maintaining a personal service Try a free evaluation now at > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [li1085] >>> "RECOMMEND FREE PINT" FACILITY <<< Simply enter a colleague's email address on the page below and we'll send them a brief and courteous introduction to Free Pint: > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = TIPS ARTICLE "An introduction to the Netherlands on the web" By Briget Lander The Netherlands --------------- You're thinking windmills, clogs and tulips. You're thinking flat, damp and windy. You'd be right! But the Netherlands is also an extremely diverse, affluent, well educated and webwise country. The aim of this article is to give a brief overview of websites from this country which has been my home for the last two years. The Netherlands is a wired country with about 55 ISPs providing 9.2 million internet users (Nielsen/NetRatings for Jan 2002) with dial up and various broadband connections. Further, the Netherlands leads the rest of the EU in broadband connectivity with 6.5 per cent of Dutch households (with a TV) having broadband internet access (Europemedia news Oct 2001). For those needing some starting points for research into the Netherlands, for those thinking of visiting or living in the Netherlands or those who are just curious, here is a selection of interesting and/or useful websites from the Netherlands. Finding your way on the Net --------------------------- Ilse - This is an all purpose portal site (traffic, weather, free email, etc.) which includes a good search engine for Dutch sites. Start pages - This extensive collection of 'subject guides' on all manner of topics is surprisingly useful for browsing when your Dutch vocabulary is a bit limited. Be warned, some of the pages are rather long! NL menu - An excellent directory of websites compiled with the academic user in mind. There are currently 37,500 sites listed and the directory is maintained by the national library (KB) with the help of voluntary category editors. Government and Universities --------------------------- Dutch Government - A list of links to all Dutch ministries, local authorities and government organisations. Most of the ministry sites provide an English version of their site but it is not always as complete as the Dutch version. Central Office of Statistics - There is free statistical information on social and economic subjects and a searchable database of publications. List of Dutch Universities - A list of all 14 universities (and links to their websites) is provided by the Association of Dutch Universities . Libraries --------- NVB - The Netherlands Association of Professionals in the Library, Information and Knowledge sectors. The site gives the usual news, activities, branch groups, jobs (see below) etc. There is only a brief summary available in English. Royal library - 'Koninklijke Bibliotheek' ('Royal library' or 'KB') is the national library of the Netherlands. Their online catalogue provides access to information in the humanities as well as to the 'Depot of Dutch Publications'. Delft University of Technology Library - Their online catalogue functions as the national catalogue in technical sciences subjects (architecture, engineering, IT, physics, industrial design etc.). NIWI (Netherlands Institute for Scientific Information Services) - This organisation's online catalogue is particularly strong in bio- medical information and functions as the national catalogue in this area. There is also free access to the Netherlands Research Database which gives information about current scientific research projects. OCLC_PICA - Originally an association of Dutch universities for centrally cataloguing books, Pica has grown into a for-profit organisation providing various library automation services and products. Recently, Pica became OCLC_PICA. Library jobs: NVB - Although their job listings are predominantly in Dutch, the site is still useful because jobs for English speakers tend to be listed in English. Reekx - This is a consulting and recruitment agency, placing info pros in long and short term contracts, ranging from locums for front desk work to on-site project based consultants. Probiblio - Another employment agency specifically targetted at public library staffing. Hatch Search Talent - A specialised recruitment agency for information professionals with a variety of library and non-library jobs. Note: On Dutch websites, look for the word 'vacatures' (= 'jobs'). News ---- Surprisingly, there is no English language daily newspaper in the Netherlands so keeping up to date with local news, issues and opinions can be difficult. Here are a couple of tips: Europemedia - Good range of general and business stories in English. Kranten.com - A collection of Dutch national papers - only really useful if your Dutch is reasonable (however, some papers have a small English section). Radio Netherlands - This site provides a short review in English of the Dutch daily papers and is quite useful for keeping in touch with local news and issues. Reference --------- Yellow pages - White pages - Maps - use Mapquest or the ANWB Routeplanner mentioned above. Translation dictionary - - despite the terrible flashing banners, this is the better of a few free Dutch-English dictionaries. Tourism ------- You can use the regular tourist information and booking websites (Timeout, Lonely Planet, cheap airlines, etc.) but there are lots of sites that are specifically about visiting the Netherlands. Also included below are a few of my favourite 'tourist' sites. Dutch National Tourist Board - Not a brilliant site but nevertheless the official site and worth a look. VVV - The network of tourist offices throughout the country is called the VVV - but curiously, their website is all in Dutch! However, the bigger cities have their own websites with plenty of information in English. Amsterdam , Rotterdam , Den Haag (The Hague) , Utrecht . Keukenhof Gardens - You can take all the photos of tulips you like! The ultimate tourist destination in Holland and well worth struggling through all the other tourists - really! Museumserver - Great directory site for all museums in the country, what's on and where. Expats ------ There is a sizeable expat community living in Holland, especially in Amsterdam and the Hague. The two sites I have found particularly useful are given below but there is a long list of Netherlands expat websites in the Open Directory . Access - Sometimes, a website is not enough and you really need to speak to someone who knows about living in the Netherlands from an expat perspective. Give these people a call (or visit them) with questions ranging from drivers licenses to work permits to child care to cricket teams. Expatica - News updates twice each day, interesting feature articles to help cope with the cultural differences, lots of discussion and a weekly 'What's on in Amsterdam' feature. > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Briget Lander is currently part of the IT Innovation and Development group of the Delft University of Technology Library in the Netherlands . She holds a B. Engineering and a M. Library and Information Studies from New Zealand universities. This has proved a useful combination of qualifications when working variously as knowledge manager, project leader, business researcher and IT trainer in private and public (academic) environments. She writes here in a personal capacity. > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Related Free Pint links: * "Netherlands" resources in the Free Pint Portal * Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks * Post a message to the author, Briget Lander, or suggest further resources, at the Free Pint Bar * Access the entire archive of Free Pint articles and issues > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> FANCY CONTRIBUTING TO FREE PINT? <<< Sign up for the free regular "Author Update". It contains ideas about contributing articles, book reviews and tips to Free Pint. Simply enter your email address at: > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FREE PINT BOOKSHELF "The Information Professional's Guide to Career Development Online" Written by Sarah L. Nesbeitt and Rachel Singer Gordon Reviewed by Diana McAuley Career development is becoming more important than ever in the fast- changing world of information management. Developments in information technology, flatter management structures and changing management trends mean that information professionals need to work hard to ensure that their skills, experience and contacts keep abreast with changes. Sarah L Nesbeitt and Rachel Singer Gordon aim to encourage information professionals to use online resources as a tool for career development. Traditional career development activities such as job- hunting, networking, keeping up to date with new developments and contributing to the literature can all be done via the Internet. Career development for many suggests job-hunting, but this book demonstrates that looking at online job postings is not the only or most significant way in which the Internet can enhance your career. Practical advice is provided on topics ranging from current awareness services and personalised Web pages to educational and networking opportunities, online conferences and discussion lists. The authors practice what they preach, and provide a marvellous example of online networking in their own approach to this book. The authors met via the Internet, and collaborated online via frequent email exchanges. Career Development Online takes a practical and down-to-earth approach. It gives many examples throughout, and does not take a "techie" approach. In fact, the introductory chapter on "getting connected" will probably be a bit too basic for most information professionals. The biggest asset of this publication is the vast number of online resources included, and the authors have created a companion website to ensure that the online resources recommended in the book remain relevant and accurate. The only criticism of this book is that it has a very strong Canadian and US bias. In particular the chapters on educational sources, and professional associations do not carry many useful links for UK based information professionals. The appendices also carry few international links. However, the resources listed do provide examples of the type of information available on the Internet, and the guidance applies to UK information professionals just as much as to our US counterparts. As online resources increase the Internet will be even more central to career development. This publication will be useful for all information professionals regardless of where they are on the career spectrum. It can be placed on the bookshelf and dipped into for assistance when necessary to enhance professionalism and improve career opportunities. > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Diana McAuley is Deputy Manager of the Trade Partners UK Information Centre. Prior to that she worked as an information officer in the voluntary sector for four years, and she is currently struggling through the LA chartership process. In her current position she researches websites of interest to UK exporters, so is particularly interested in online searching. > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Related Free Pint links: * Find out more about this book online at the Free Pint Bookshelf * Read customer comments and buy this book at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com * "The Information Professional's Guide to Career Development Online" ISBN 1573871249 published by Information Today Inc. written by Sarah L. Nesbeitt and Rachel Singer Gordon * Search for and purchase any book from Amazon via the Free Pint Bookshelf at * Read about other Internet marketing books on the Free Pint Bookshelf To propose an information-related book for review, send details to . > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> SEND TO A FRIEND <<< There are many places on the Free Pint Web site where you can send the current item to yourself or a friend. Have back issues of the newsletter sent by email , tell a colleague about a Bar posting or highlight an interesting job listing . > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FEATURE ARTICLE "Evolution or revolution: the future of scholarly publishing" By Paul Harwood Believe me, it is hard to explain to an outsider what scholarly publishing is all about. When you say you work for a subscription agent and get met with further blank looks, you realise you are onto a loser and resolve that in future when someone asks you what you do for a living, you simply reply "I work in publishing" and leave it at that. Every now and then, you do get someone who doesn't glaze over when you explain what scholarly publishing is all about. Then it gets really interesting because you start to tell them how it works: Scientist writes research paper which he or she gives away to a publisher only for that scientist's organisation to buy it back in the form of an institutional subscription. Normally, the reaction you get falls into two camps: "great business model" or "bet the Internet has changed all that". Encouraged by this rare interest in your livelihood, you keep going, and explain the unique nature of the content, the idea of Peer Review, what the Research Assessment Exercise is, the fascinating concept of twigging and branching and of course, the age-old serials crisis; that inflationary spiral which has been a major bone of contention between librarians and publishers for the last thirty years. Finally, having come all this way, you get to the best part of all. The fact that this community, steeped in academia, traditional values and seemingly untouched by outside forces is currently a hotbed of intrigue, acquisition, merger, and disintermediation with a hint of revolution in the air. If you have stayed with it this far, read on ... So far in the world of scholarly electronic publishing, everything has changed but nothing has changed: journals still fail to arrive, prices continue to increase over the rate of inflation each year and the budget that research organisations have to spend on journals fails to keep pace with those price increases. At the same time, we have seen the emergence of wonderful new technological innovations like DOI and SFX, unprecedented collaboration between publishers with initiatives like CrossRef and research libraries actively abandoning print in favour of the electronic version. To try and get an insight into this complex ecosystem, it is worthwhile dropping in on each of the three principal players who sit between the authors and consumers of scholarly journals to try and understand what is going on: Publishers ---------- Mindful of the fact that the pot of money they are chasing is fairly static, the main growth opportunity is in the acquisition of competitors and there has been a significant consolidation of publishers in scholarly publishing. The most recent merger, that between Elsevier Science and Harcourt has prompted the Department of Trade and Industry in the UK to undertake a review of the whole process of scholarly publishing. The major publishers have all made their content available electronically and some are keen to move to electronic-only as quickly as possible. Mostly, they have been successful in fending off the library claims that electronic journals should be cheaper than the print counterparts because the printing process and associated costs have all but disappeared, by highlighting investment in new technology, processes and systems to support the new formats. Whilst some libraries have remarked that they cannot recall a time when publishers have been so keen to visit, subscription agents have viewed with some suspicion attempts by publishers to disintermediate them. The reality seems to be that most publishers still appreciate the added value that agents bring and if they can also help maximise current sales or generate new ones, they are happy to continue to work together. For those who insist on the go-it-alone route, the real test is likely to come when they are confronted with real customer service issues on a daily basis, something they have been protected from for many years by the subscription agents. The other main issue challenging the publishers is the appropriate business model in the electronic age: sell a single database of all titles, subject packages or exploit the increased granularity that the electronic age offers by offering mixed packages of pay-per-view, document delivery and subscription models. All are being experimented with and analysed at length on discussion lists by librarians around the world. Subscription Agents ------------------- Three or four years ago, amid all the hype, it seemed that subscription agents - essential in the world of print on paper - were going to struggle to find a role in the world of electronic journals. The dot.com frenzy of the last two years seemed only to further highlight the remaining companies as dinosaurs: in the wrong age and too big and cumbersome to change. What many overlooked when predicting the demise of the agent was their ongoing durability and creativity over many years. Organisations that have had to operate on wafer-thin margins and learn the real science of administrative efficiency, would not be killed-off that easily. Agents understand customer service, automated processes and perhaps most crucially of all, both the publishing and library communities: a genuine unique insight into what both the suppliers and purchasers of scholarly journals are thinking and doing as a result of dealing with them on a daily basis. Opportunities in consortia brokering, content aggregation, electronic solutions and marketing services for publishers all offer potential new roles for the agent on top of what they do best already: supporting the acquisition and management of journals in both printed and electronic format. The main concern for the agents' future probably rests in their ability to avoid killing each other in the fight for market share. Although hard to believe, given the age-old maxim 'content is king', agents may ultimately be less vulnerable to the evolution or revolution in scholarly publishing than the publishers they have so ably supported over many years. Librarians ---------- Academic librarians in particular have embraced the move to electronic journals and used it as a real opportunity to assert their professional skills and to cultivate new ones (negotiation, marketing). Many have used the experimentation in publishers' business models to assert their views on pricing and access models more than ever before and the ubiquitous email discussion lists means there are no hiding places for those who offend. Librarians have established their own gateways to electronic journals and even helped develop new technical solutions to give them a greater say in where their end-users are directed when searching for content (SFX). Mindful that some publishers have no qualms about walking over both the subscription agent and themselves in their quest for a relationship with the end-user, librarians have also created consortia in an attempt to maximise purchasing and political power. The notorious 'grilling' sessions at ICOLC meetings are full evidence of this change . Were it just a simple matter of these three parties re-adjusting to the new formats, business models and ways of working, you could argue that not much would change. However, there are more fundamental shifts taking place in the world of scholarly publishing that lead us to the title of this paper. Just as commercial publishers are weighing up their options when thinking about who is best placed to get to the end-user, some alternative publishing models have emerged which, for the first time, threaten the grip that publishers have exerted on this community. On the one side you have BioMedCentral urging academics and researchers to send their papers to them and they will make them freely available. A charge is paid by the author or his or her institution to have the paper published. BioMedCentral has emerged from the world of commercial publishing and some of the key staff worked for major STM publishers. On the other hand you have SPARC, an initiative drawn very much from the library community which encourages the production of cheaper alternatives to commercially available and established peer-reviewed journals. With its roots in North America, a European Chapter has recently been established . SPARC is already claiming some successes in direct competition with established titles. The evolution argument suggests that these initiatives will continue to grow and develop and that commercial publishers will have to learn to co-exist and compete with them. For the purchasers of journal literature, it may mean a reduction in the unit cost and for the academic or researcher, a variety of different places for his or her paper. Revolutionary fervour comes from the writings of Steven Harnad and the proponents of the Open Archive concept. Harnad and colleagues advocate the complete overthrow of the current commercial model, the establishment of a common technical protocol and the development of institutional-based archives where academics and researchers would deposit their papers. When you listen to Harnad or read his papers on this subject, it is difficult not to be persuaded by his arguments. So, will it be evolution or revolution for the hitherto tranquil and now increasingly turbulent world of scholarly publishing? Last year, the Public Library of Science, an international group of academics, threatened to withdraw from contributing to certain publishers' journals unless they were made freely available after six months. Some 25,000 individuals signed-up to the cause but so far nothing seems to have changed. Perhaps all the time academic tenure and advancement is based so heavily on being published in the right journals, it will be difficult for initiatives like this one to have any impact . In the UK, we await the report of the DTI into scholarly commercial publishing with interest. How much consolidation in the publishing industry we will see between now and then is difficult to say, although it is quite clear that we haven't seen the end yet. E-mail boxes and discussion lists of librarians will continue to be full of these matters on a daily basis whilst commercial publishers and subscription agents will continue to try and re-establish the balance of power and influence in the new electronic world. If you take the conservative nature of this industry and many of its stakeholders, you would have to come down on the evolution model: a shift from print to electronic at a slightly slower rate than was predicted several years ago, some changes in role for the principal players and some new entrants on the scene to prevent everything becoming too cosy again. However, with initiatives like the Public Library of Science unlikely to wither and die, Steven Harnad showing no signs of relaxing and librarians sensing an historic opportunity to gain greater influence and recognition, a revolution cannot be discounted. > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Paul Harwood is Regional Director for Swets Blackwell, responsible for the company's business in the UK and Ireland. A qualified librarian, he worked for Swets Subscription Service for 10 years as Sales Manager and Managing Director prior to the company's merger with Blackwell's in 2000. Paul has written widely on the subject of scholarly publishing and is currently Education Officer for the United Kingdom Serials Group , having previously served as Marketing Officer. He also sits on the Medical Information Working Party and is on the Editorial Board of the US publication 'The Serials Librarian'. > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Related Free Pint links: * "Information and Libraries" articles and resources in the Portal * Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks * Post a message to the author, Paul Harwood, or suggest further resources, at the Free Pint Bar * Access the entire archive of Free Pint content > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FORTHCOMING EVENTS If you thought there was plenty going on in March, then you'll be very happy with the choice of 'hot topic' get-togethers in the first half of April. 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