[166] in Information Retrieval
Random conference report.
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Mitchell N Charity)
Wed May 5 19:41:00 1993
Date: Wed, 5 May 93 19:39:44 EDT
From: mcharity@hq.LCS.MIT.EDU (Mitchell N Charity)
To: elibdev@Athena.MIT.EDU
Reply-To: mcharity@lcs.mit.edu
A random conference report - long but with interesting points.
Forwarded to me by Maria Sensale, the LCS/AI Reading Room librarian.
Litigation over Inter-Library Loan?!#? Grumble.
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Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1993 12:11:00 -0400
From: Jack.Montgomery@uc.edu
To: Multiple recipients of list LIBADMIN <LIBADMIN%UMAB.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
CONFERENCE REPORT
Jack G. Montgomery
Head of Acquisitions,
Marx Law Library,
University of Cincinnati
The 12th annual Charleston Conference held November 5-7,
1992 on Issues in Book and Serial Acquisition had as its subtitle
"The Medium is the Massage." The conference focused on the issues
of electronic publishing, copyright, and intellectual property
issues, and the future of acquisitions and collection
development. Held at the conference center at the College of
Charleston, the conference was attended by over 400 participants
from all types of institutions and from as far away as Europe and
Great Britain.
Miriam Drake, dean and director of Libraries and Information
centers at the Georgia Institute of Technology delivered the
keynote address with the premise: does online access signal the
end of the library as we know it? She presented her view of the
future and pointed to the significant changes in the publishing
industry that is causing and will continue to cause the publisher
to borrow working capital as information is being purchased on
an as-needed basis rather than the pay-up-front subscription
basis that now exists for journal publications.
Libraries on the other hand will move away from the
egalitarian approach to an information for profit basis,
indicating that if the library survives at all, it will be a very
different institution.
Ms. Drake stressed a more business-like atmosphere where we
must tie each service or acquisition to a result. As books will
be printed on-demand we as librarians, must stop thinking of
physical collection and "focus on the content rather than the
container." Ms. Drake predicted a focus away from interlibrary
loans and towards site-licensing of products like CD-ROMS.
Finally work teams and project groups will replace the
administrative hierarchy that currently exists in libraries
today.
The next presentation on trends in scholarly publishing was
led by Jolanda von Hagen, CEO for Springer-Verlag of New York.
While recognizing the fact that the age and computer literacy of
students and faculty is changing, what will happen to the concept
of authorship in the electronic environment. As the publisher
currently functions as the gateway for scholarly information,
what will happen to concepts like public recognition and peer
review if this gateway function is removed? Ms von Hagen
indicated that publishers are committed to protecting their
rights to publish the works of authors and that the expensive
conversion process to electronic publishing is not yet market
driven in the field of scientific publishing. Further,
publishers as of this time have no idea how to develop a pricing
model for information in an electronic form. Ms von Hagen also
asserts that libraries will have to function like corporations
with an increased focus on content, accountability, and
performance.
Alan Wittman of Wittman Associates addressed the issue of
librarians complaints about rising costs. He reminded the
participants that while libraries are often acclaimed as "the
center of the University," in fact they have been economically
starved to death by university administrators looking for a quick
fix to budgetary problems. Library expenditures as a part of the
overall financial picture of the university have gone down as
much as fifty percent for the period from 1979 to 1992.
Mr.Wittman echoed a concern of several speakers when he intimated
that the electronic publishing environment has the potential for
serious copyright abuse and the further proliferation of "garbage
scholarship." In short, do not look to this as your panacea for
budgetary woes, learn to fight for your budget within your
institution.
The next section of the program dealt with the question:
"Coming or Going : Are Acquisitions and Collection Development
obsolete?" Tony Ferguson of Columbia University reported the
results of a study of the scientific community at Columbia that
indicated those scientists that were familiar with electronic
formats (94 %), found the traditional resource of the library was
"very important" to their research. Conversely, those unfamiliar
with electronic formats (64 %) felt that the traditional library
resources were "not very important." Therefore, Mr.Ferguson
indicated that instead of replacing traditional formats with
electronic ones we should make all formats available as they
compliment each other in scholarly research. With regard to
electronic resources, we need to spend more time evaluating both
CD ROM and Internet resources rather than just offering a
electronic Tower of Babel for our patron to wade through. We
also need selectors of electronic formats to perform a gateway
function for this information.
Finally, Ron Ray of Rutgers informed and entertained the
audience with his analogies as he illustrated that the library is
a feminized institution with library budgets as the "grasping
womb, swallowing money into a black hole." Further, he
illustrated that electronic formats are being promoted in an
aggressive, forceful, "male" way offering instant "gratification"
of our needs. We need to incorporate these male paradigms into
our operations to survive and respond to the new breed of scholar
who demands his intellectual gratification, while maintaining the
traditional nurturing role of the research library.
Becky Lenzini of Carl Systems, Inc. indicated that
cataloguing was an out-of-date and unnecessary function.
Booksellers will soon be ready to provide via electronic
ordering, a fully catalogued record for every purchase. This
privatization of the cataloguing function would greatly reduce
library costs while not adding substantially to the price of the
title.
On Friday, the presentations shifted to the topic of
copyright. John Cox, Director of Blackwells periodicals division
defined the nature of copyright in the U.S. and in England. In
England, copyright law is called "fair use law" and its role is
protecting intellectual property. Mr.Cox addressed the "thin
line" of the law regarding reproduction of intellectual works for
the scholarly dissemination of information including Fax
transmission and optical imaging. Publishers have considerable
reservations about fair use and hence are monitoring the
university environment closely.
Internationally known consultant Richard Abel furthered this
discussion and indicated that while most infringement is small
the Kinko's and Texaco cases will determine the future of
copyright. Mr.Abel sees elaborate licensing agreements between
libraries and publishers/vendors as a possible scenario. Isabella
Hinds of the Copyright Clearing Center suggested we develop
rigorous standards for information transmission. She indicated
that publishers can and are able to track the University
environment including coursepacks, interlibrary loans, and fee-
based services. Glen Secor of Yankee Book Peddler added that as
I.L.L. and cooperative acquisitions develop in the university
environment, conflict and litigation is inevitable.
Mr.Cox added that case law will redefine our idea of
copyright. Lawyers will have "a field day" as publishers "make
an example" of an offending university. He stated that the "free
flow of information is not the same as the flow of free
information." Becky Lenzini indicated that publishers are
developing a "statewide institutional price" for those states
considering a shared resources policy. Publishers are also
becoming aware of the growing problem with stand-alone CD-ROM
products, and Ms.Lenzini reminded the audience that "a
subscription price does not equal access to the royalty."
The afternoon session, "Bottomless Pit Revisited : Budgeting
for Resources in the 90s," focused on being able to plan for
future budget environments. In a discussion of budgeting for
international materials, Jane Maddox of Otto Harrassowitz
indicated that an atmosphere of currency fluctuations and
unstable markets have forced vendors to be reactive rather than
methodical in their budgetary planning. She suggested that
libraries establish a policy of prepayment or money on account.
This type of policy allows publishers to offer a "locked in" rate
thereby avoiding the question of a fluctuating exchange rate,
establish a U.S. dollar price list, and set up distribution
arrangements for North America.
Becky Lenzini of CARL discussed the topic of document
delivery on a budget. Among the solutions presented to the
problems resulting from having a fixed amount of money to
purchase a product driven by users with a variable price were pay
as you go programs and depository accounts.
Ms. Lenzini also suggested a need/speed policy where a
higher price would be charged for a "rush service". She also
suggested moving Interlibrary Loan under Acquisitions as "it
truly is an acquisition issue, you are buying a document at a
variable rate." Moreover, budgeting can only be managed
effectively under acquisitions.
For an international perspective, David Carol and Charles
Germain of Gauthier-Villars, North America outlined the history
of the new economic developments in Europe. They focused on the
negative effects of a floating currency, the Single European Act
of 1992 and the removal of the British pound on the new EMS
currency. This currency was apparently quite stable until
September of 92, however a new european core is developing in
Europe and the economic effects will be positive for U.S.
libraries. The dollar will be worth more, especially against the
British pound. Again, the publishers/vendor's solution would be
the establishment of library depository accounts. Then vendors
could purchase their foreign currency in advance and establish
contract relations with librarians, and thereby protect
themselves against the fluctuations that are still occurring in
the European market.
Finally on Saturday the topic was: "Beyond the electronic
book" a discussion of future trends for publishing and the
profession of librarianship in what Norman Desmarais of
Providence College Library referred to as the early stages of a
paradigm shift in the use and production of information. Mr
Desmaris stated that the electronic book has no relation to the
concept of the book as the focus shifts from the format to
contents, and towards an active rather than passive experience
with the information. This shift in format can include the
ability to alter story line or to experience the text with
virtual reality.
Jane Treadwell of Emory University offered another
perspective when she posed the question : "How does one get
beyond the place where we have not yet arrived?". Further, Ms.
Treadwell challenged the idea that the virtual library has
already reached the stage of an "unassailable sacred cow" and the
idea that "things electronic" are inexpensive. However, new ways
to generate funds will appear without question. She illustrated
her point with the rebellion of scholars at Emory University who
have questioned the validity of large economic outlays for
technology and maintain a desire to "browse" a collection.
Ms. Treadwell warns against what she terms "retarded
technology" or the use of technology for its own sake without
regard to its real value or cost. We must question the "techno-
pundits" require them to justify their programs in the same way
as anyone else who was proposing change to an established system.
We must however remain in touch with new developments in order to
be able to fairly evaluate new technologies.
The rest of the session centered on a re-examination of the
focus of the conference. Clifford Lynch of the University of
California discussed the implications of a globally networked
environment and stated that "we are moving away from the world of
library ownership and distributed information," yet he warned
that "free information could drive out good information." We
must work to preserve the quality of information through adopting
new "gate keeper" paradigms for the electronic environment.
Anyone who monitors the Internet can relate to Mr. Lynch's
assessment of the "ignorant windbag phenomenon." In short, we
must work with newly formed electronic publishing enterprises to
protect the standards of quality we have come to expect from the
print media.
Lynch maintains that libraries are ill equipped to handle
the "commodities environment" for information, with its potential
price fluctuation and loss of bibliographic control.
Transactional billing is an "expensive form of decision making".
The current telephone system is the paradigm for the
transactional billing system with forty to fifty percent of your
cost is the maintenance of the billing system. However,
transactional billing will surely inject added cost into the
networked environment.
In addition, licenses could sap your budget during a bad
year and create instability in the system of information flow.
Publishers also have genuine concerns about the modification of a
transmitted document as it passes through a users software
package, possibly altering the format. Mr. Lynch advises us to
"not be too glib about technology" but to take a provocative role
in its management.
The conference concluded with the acknowledgement that
librarians are evolving into navigators of information where
questions will be about the process of access rather than about
the answer itself.
