To Publish and Perish:Influencing the

scholarly publishing environment

Paul Kobulnicky

Director of Libraries

University of Connecticut

A Word or Two on “Ecosystems”

• Ecosystems are complex systems and

• Complex systems defy simple solutions

• You cannot change a complex organism, you can only disturb it

• Growth is the goal until it is the problem

• Stability, like riding a bicycle, is a product of dynamics

A recommended reading in systems:

Jervis, Robert, System effects : complexity in political and social life.

Princeton University Press, c1997.

Publish ___ PerishFrom “OR” to “AND”

• Policy Perspectives Vol. 7, #4www.irhe.upenn.edu/pp

• The road from “or” to “and” has a direct link– Faculty rewards– Free goods

• Pressure to publish is greater than the pressure to consume.

Solutions tied to drivers

• From Policy Perspectives– End the preoccupation with numbers.– Be smart shoppers.– Get a handle on property rights.– Invest in electronic forms of scholarly

communications.– De-couple publication and faculty evaluation.

A few more...

• Create competition.– Same product for less $– Different and better and cheaper.

• Create choice for use of $– Money is all green (in the US).– Scholarly information competes with other

higher education investments.

• Drive the problem back to the scholars

Solutions must adhere to the rules of complex situations.

• One set of rules for all players

• All the players know and obey all rules– no hidden handcuffs

• Everyone plays all their cards … no reneging

• Everyone acts in their enlightened self-interest

Introducing one solution that follows these precepts:

S•P•A•R•CThe Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources CoalitionAn initiative of the Association of Research Libraries

The Problem

• High & fast rising subscription prices.

• Insufficient competition, especially in STM publishing.

• Faculty reward system supports status quo.

ARL Trends (1986-97)• Serials

– Unit cost +169%– Expenditure +142%– Titles purchased -6%

• Monographs– Unit cost +62%– Expenditure +30%– Titles purchased -14%

• CPI +46%

• Health care +84%

The Problem:High on the feeding chain

Problem acute among highest price STMjournals ($5,000 - $20,000 annually)

• Often a high cost per use.

• Absorb a large share of total spending.

• High dollar impact even when modest rate of increase.

Past Library Strategies

• Journal cancellations & reduced monograph acquisitions.

• Improved document delivery models.• Cooperative collection development.• Site licensing of electronic information.• Consortial licensing of electronic

information.

The underlying problem persists.

Other Options

• De-couple peer-review & publication.• Return of copyright to academe.• Modify the academic reward structure.• Limit number of articles considered for

promotion & tenure.

These are long-term solutions facing significant cultural barriers.

The SPARC Option

Introduce competition in publishing phase of process.

How?• Partner with shared-value publishers to

introduce or support alternatives to current outlets for research.

• Focus on STM where problem is greatest.

Why Now?

• Dependence on high profits makes traditional commercial players vulnerable.

• Changes in technology have reduced barriers to competitive entry.

• Growing author dissatisfaction with research dissemination & use restrictions.

• Buyer resistance to high prices.

About SPARC

• Conceived & initiated by the Association of Research Libraries in 1997.

• Membership open to the international academic & research library community.

• A “broker,” working with publishing partners & for the interests of the scholarly community. SPARC is not a publisher.

• A meeting ground for publishers & librarians.

What’s In It for Libraries?

A competitive market in scholarly journal publishing.

Benefits of competition:• Better prices• Better products• Better terms• Better libraries.

What’s In It for Publisher-Partners?

• Reduced market entry risk, faster break-even– Purchase by SPARC members.

– Impact of SPARC support on broader market acceptance.

– Exposure in SPARC advertising, promotion & publicity.

• Access to SPARC- member contacts to recruit authors & editors.

SPARC endorsed by:

• Association of American Universities

• Association of American University Presses

• Association of College & Research Libraries

• Big 12 Provosts

• Canadian Association of Research Libraries

• National Association of State Universities & Land Grant Colleges

Potential Publisher-Partners

• Scholarly & professional societies

• University presses & universities

• Government agencies

• Independent commercial publishers

• Information utilities & technology-based entities

Partnership Objectives

Support launch of new journals that:

• challenge specific existing high-price journals.• offer high-quality alternatives for authors.• offer libraries substantially reduced costs.• exploit technology developments.• offer usage policies that are consistent with the

needs of libraries and authors.

Initial Partnerships

American Chemical Society

• 3 journals over 3 years

• Organic Letters coming June 1999– Print & electronic– Priced at 30% of Tetrahedron Letters

• SPARC-ACS study of authors’ needs for personal Website posting & other secondary uses planned

Initial PartnershipsRoyal Society of Chemistry

• 3 journals over 3 years

Initial PartnershipsRoyal Society of Chemistry

• 3 journals over 3 years

• PhysChemComm available now– Refereed rapid communication journal– Electronic only (RSC Web & aggregators)– HTML text with supplementary materials in other

formats– Perpetual access to content purchased– www.rsc.org/physcc

Royal Society of Chemistry

RSC price per article target is 0.77 pounds. This is expressed above in US$ at current conversion rates.

Publ Price Articles/Yr $/ArticlePhysChemComm RSC 350$ 260 1.31$ Chem. Phys. Lett. Elsevier 8,368$ 1300 6.59$

Publ Price Articles/Yr $/ArticlePhysChemComm RSC 700$ 520 1.31Chem. Phys. Lett. Elsevier ? ? ?

1999

2003

Initial PartnershipsEvolutionary Ecology Research• Launched by former editor & editorial board of

a Wolters Kluwer title.• $290 per year in print plus $15 for Web access.

Personal subns for faculty at subscribing institutions at marginal cost.

• 8 issues (1000 pages) per year. • Authors own copyright.• www.evolutionary-ecology.com

SPARC Membership• 114 members

• Up 50% since June

• 14 members from beyond ARL ranks

• Expanding market opportunity for publishing partners.

• Support needed from health science libraries to provide market for alternatives to high-price medical titles.

AffiliatesKey organizational links also carry the message:

• ACRL

• CARL (Canada)

• SCONUL (UK & Ireland)

• Conference of Directors of Research Libraries (Denmark)

Affiliations

Other organizational links sought...

Association of Academic Health Science Libraries

LIBER National library groups in northern

Europe

...to expand SPARC’s reach in the health science & international communities.

SPARC Membership

Academic & research libraries:• Full Member

$5,000 dues + $7,500 purchase commitment.

• Consortium MemberDues & purchase commitment each 0.2% of materials budget of institutions that choose to participate.

• Supporting MemberDues 0.2% of materials budget; no purchase commitment.

Associations & societies:• Affiliate Member

$5000 annual contribution.

The Big Questions

• Does SPARC add to journal proliferation?

• Will SPARC cause library costs to increase?

• How will SPARC address the challenge of drawing authors to new journals?

Answers

Does SPARC add to journal proliferation?

No, quite the contrary. SPARC encourages publishers to shift their

investments... from creating new proliferating journals to developing titles that battle for occupied

content/market space.

Buyers with limited funds will usually pick one title.

SPARC now also helps existing alternatives compete for greater market share.

Answers

Will SPARC cause library costs to increase?

No, not unless we allow it. Alternative journals will reduce total costs

when libraries are able to trim the high-price alternatives.

Libraries, editors/authors & publishers must help “sell” these choices to faculty if dominant publishers’ stranglehold is to be broken.

Answers

How will SPARC address the challenge of drawing authors to new journals?

SPARC and its members will: collaborate with partners that offer strong

author ties (e.g., societies) support superior outlets for research quickly deliver readers via their subscriptions stick with new journals, giving each a chance

to realize financial viability promote SPARC philosophy & products on

their campuses.

Conclusions

SPARC is off to a strong start, already a formidable coalition Partnership dev’t spade work paying off Critical mass in membership, affiliations,

endorsements provides viability & credibility Growing experience enables us to formulate

& implement effective strategies Rising confidence that SPARC will provide

an attractive return on investment.

Become a SPARC Member

Contact:

Rick JohnsonSPARC Enterprise Director21 Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 800Washington, DC 20036

E-mail: rick@arl.orgTel: 202-296-2296Fax: 202-872-0884

Visit the SPARC website

www.arl.org/sparc