The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 17.1109  Saturday, 30 December 2006

[1] 	From: 	Gabriel Egan <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
	Date: 	Monday, 25 Dec 2006 21:13:14 -0000
	Subj: 	Re: SHK 17.1107 Price of Academic Journals

[2] 	From: 	Harry Connors <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
	Date: 	Thursday, 28 Dec 2006 01:27:09 +0000
	Subj: 	Re: SHK 17.1107 Price of Academic Journals


[1]-----------------------------------------------------------------
From: 		Gabriel Egan <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: 		Monday, 25 Dec 2006 21:13:14 -0000
Subject: 17.1107 Price of Academic Journals
Comment: 	Re: SHK 17.1107 Price of Academic Journals

The best response to the spiralling cost of traditional journals is the 
Open Access movement, which advocates free publication of research 
outcomes on the Internet. The movement is rapidly gaining adherents even 
inside governments. In July 2004 of the House of Commons Science and 
Technical Committee, part of the United Kingdom government, delivered 
its 10th report in which it unequivocally supported Open Access for 
scientific, technical, and medical publishing. How such things might 
work out in the Arts and Humanities-where most of the research is not 
directly funded by a sponsor-is hard to say. To discuss this matter, 
there is a panel on Open Access at the Renaissance Society of America 
meeting in Miami in March 2007. The meeting programme can be had at

    www.rsa.org

The proposal for the panel, with links to further reading on the subject 
of Open Access, can be had at

    www.GabrielEgan.com/RSA

Gabriel Egan

[2]-------------------------------------------------------------
From: 		Harry Connors <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: 		Thursday, 28 Dec 2006 01:27:09 +0000
Subject: 17.1107 Price of Academic Journals
Comment: 	Re: SHK 17.1107 Price of Academic Journals

Frankly, in my opinion, professors are reaping what they have sown.

First, two quick disclaimers. I am not specifically attacking anyone. If 
you are guilty, you will know. Also, I am neither a professor nor a 
student--at least not a student for a few decades--but my daughter, who 
is an English Lit grad student, tells me that nothing has changed since 
I was in school.

It is risible for professors to complain about the cost of journals. You 
have ignored the complaints of your students about the cost of textbooks 
for decades. you persist in choosing more expensive textbooks over less 
expensive ones. You insist on the latest editions, thus depriving your 
students of the ability to sell their textbooks after the class is over 
or the ability to buy used textbooks. Tell the textbook publishers "No!" 
They're the same ones who publish the journals you complain of.

Of course, not everyone is to blame. And, Mr. Shevlin is correct when he 
notes that the fewer people who subscribe to a journal, the higher the 
cost must be. Maybe some of the commercial journals should fail. Would 
the loss be that great? If I were a professor I would be heavily pruning 
my subscriptions. Certainly, I wouldn't need subscriptions to any 
journal carried by my library. And, I would be talking to colleagues 
about sharing subscriptions. Refusal to spend the money is the best way 
to get the publishers to listen.

Harry Connors

_______________________________________________________________
S H A K S P E R: The Global Shakespeare Discussion List
Hardy M. Cook, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The S H A K S P E R Web Site <http://www.shaksper.net>

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