[11658] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Unaffordable products
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Flora Grabowska)
Tue Sep 16 20:46:32 1997
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 1997 16:34:39 -0500
From: Flora Grabowska <FLGRABOWSKA@vassar.edu>
To: PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU>
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
I am no longer on this list but hope the issue is of interest to some of you.
I read with interest recent remarks about the pricing of Inspec turning
away potential customers. I just sent the letter below to the Marketing VP
of ISI.
At least one ISI sales rep is aware that the price tag is inhibiting sales
but the message needs to be heard loud and clear by the decision makers.
Feel free to use all or parts of the letter, edited as you like, to turn
the situation around to everyone's satisfaction.
Flora
_______________________________
September 15, 1997
Vincent Caraher
VP Marketing
ISI
3501 Market Street,
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Dear Mr. Caraher,
I am writing as Science Librarian to urge ISI to reconsider its pricing
structure of its latest wonderful product, The Web of Science.
I first saw a canned demo version at a pi2 consortium meeting at Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute in February and was most impressed by its promise. I
then attended a live demonstration at a lavish reception at SLA in June and
looked forward to adding it to our resources at Vassar.
My disappointment was mixed with incredulous laughter when at last there
was a price quote for our share of consortial access via pi2. The number
of libraries, academic and otherwise, who would willingly squeeze their
already stretched budgets to have this resource must be large. The number
of libraries who can actually come up with the extra-galactic price tag I
expect is a sub-atomic proportion of those ready and willing to pay an even
more than affordable amount.
I urge ISI to follow the lead of Lexis Nexis, which until recently,
received none of our dollars although there was keen demand among certain
faculty and students that we have it. Our response until now was always
that it was priced beyond the use it would receive at our college. Now we
are taking advantage of a product/price restructuring from Lexis Nexis who
thereby have increased their market to many other libraries including
ourselves who will make comparatively light demands on their system.
ISI has a most sellable product but it is not reaching the market it should
with the present pricing structure. This is similar to Lexis Nexis. Let
there be two success stories instead of one. There is an opportunity for a
win-win situation here. ISI could win regard in a much larger portion of
the academic/research community for having a truly outstanding product -
and also enjoy more revenue. Vassar and others like us could win regard
for having placed a truly excellent tool at the disposal of our user group.
I will be encouraging other librarians to echo this plea. I am sure it
will not be hard then for you to see the huge potential demand from which
you are currently gaining nothing .
I look forward to hearing your response.
___________________________________________________________________
Flora Grabowska, Science Librarian phone 914 437 5788
Box 553
Vassar College, fax 914 437 5864
124 Raymond Ave, e-mail:flgrabowska@vassar.edu
Poughkeepsie, NY 12604-0553
