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Hi,
One of the things that concerns me most regarding the Nature's change in its
pricing structure for its monthly and review journals is the lack of any
communication or warning by NPG about the forthcoming changes in pricing and
the reasons for it. We expect to receive an explanation about the rationale
for these price increases within a transparent pricing policy, without
having to ask for one.
When the journal Science changing it's pricing structure for 2004 in order
to move to a more "equitable usage model for pricing site licenses", it sent
out information to the named institutional contact person detailing the
Science Online Renewal pricing for 2004, with further details of the
rationale for changes in their pricing policy.
The contrast between the AAAS and NPG couldn't be greater in terms of
customer care, the AAAS provided advance warning of these changes "for
budget planning purposes" and a detailed explanation of the rationale behind
it. NPG just provided us with a price quote for subscribing to their
"Nature" journals for the next 12 months, without any futher information. We
were all left to work it out for ourselves that many of us were going to
have to pay a massive price hike.
If NPG can learn anything from this, it should be that when they make a
significant change to their pricing model that it likely to have adverse
effects on some of their customers then they should be prepared to explain
this to their customers. Why can't they be more up front about their pricing
policy?
Cheers
Lesley
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lesley Crawshaw, Faculty Information Consultant,
Learning and Information Services,
University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, AL10 9AB UK
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
phone: 01707 284662 fax: 01707 284666
web: http://www.herts.ac.uk/lis/subjects/natsci/ejournal/
list owner: [log in to unmask]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-----Original Message-----
From: Lesley Crawshaw [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 20 May 2004 16:38
To: 'An informal open list set up by the UK Serials Group'
Subject: RE: Nature price increases
Hi,
I thought I'd like to add my own comments to the various messages that have
been posted to the list recently on the recent changes in NPG's pricing
policy for it's Nature family of journals.
In 2003 we had a 12 month site license to 6 Nature Review titles and 7
Nature Monthlies titles. Having just had chance to fully digest our the
price quote from NPG for the next 12 months the price we are being asked to
pay has gone up by 74%. This is pricing gone mad! I don't know many budgets
out there that could absorb such an unexpected price increase. Even if they
can, the key question is should they be expected to? Many others on this
list have already expressed the same sentiment.
This price increase was in spite of us having got NPG to accept a much lower
Science FTE figure of 723 rather than 1,190 used in our 2003 quote, by
excluding FTEs contributed by Environmental Sciences, Geography, Geology,
Sports Science, Sports Therapy. Little did I know that they had changed
their pricing bands, and that these smaller FTEs made absolutely no
difference to the pricing we've been asked to pay.
Would we be getting value for money by this new pricing? Having had a look
at our 2003 usage statistics for Nature/Nature Monthlies/Nature Reviews we
find that whereas the cost per download for Nature based on the latest
pricing is £1.09, the cost per download for the Nature Reviews/Nature
Monthlies is £5.09. This makes pricing of the Nature weekly look like an
absolute bargain!
I have to say I feel very sad that I am now being forced into a situation
whereby I will have no choice but to cancel our site license to the Nature
Monthlies/Nature Reviews unless we get a substantial reduction in the
pricing for the next 12 months. We aim to provide our users with quality
resources to support teaching and learning in our institution, but we can't
justify paying such an increase. I was lucky to get additional funding to
support access to these titles under the old pricing regime.
Until NPG adopt a transparent and realistic pricing for institutions such as
my own, I feel that they have left us with no other choice. I just don't
understand their thinking on this matter, are they wanting the Nature brand
to become so exclusive that only a few of us will be able to afford it?
Don't they care about the widespread dissemination of scientific information
to the widest possible audience. Their current policy denies access to many
those whom would be their future customers.
I have also begun the process of soliciting support from the academic staff
etc. in the subject areas affected. I already have the support of the Head
of our School of Life Sciences.
We will shortly be sending an official letter of protest regarding these
"over the top" price increases to Geoff Worton, Global Head, Site License
Business Unit in New York. Email: [log in to unmask] Maybe others out
there have already done this?
I think that's everything I wanted to say.
Cheers
Lesley
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lesley Crawshaw, Faculty Information Consultant,
Learning and Information Services,
University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, AL10 9AB UK
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
phone: 01707 284662 fax: 01707 284666
web: http://www.herts.ac.uk/lis/subjects/natsci/ejournal/
list owner: [log in to unmask]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-----Original Message-----
From: An informal open list set up by the UK Serials Group
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Manuela Moreno Mancebo
Sent: 19 May 2004 08:37
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Nature price increases
Más de Nature. Y la pobre pide disculpas porque, en realidad, le han subido
un 35% en vez de un 57%. Si encima hay que darles las gracias...
Manuela Moreno Mancebo
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Biblioteca
Subdirección de Servicios Técnicos y Adquisiciones
Isaac Peral, s/n; 28040 MADRID
Tfno: +34 91 394 69 25/39; Fax: +34 91 394 69 26
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
-----Mensaje original-----
De: Lesley Crawshaw [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Enviado el: martes, 18 de mayo de 2004 15:56
Para: [log in to unmask]
Asunto: Re: Nature price increases
Hi,
I like be fair to publishers, so felt it was only right that following
further communication (off list and not from NPG I hasten to add) I now need
to make a correction to my earlier email on a massive price hike for the
print version of Nature in 2004 relative to the 2003 pricing.
The reason for this is because it appears that part of the massive price
increase that we paid this year was due to an error by our agent, which has
resulted in us being overcharged for this particular subscription. So whilst
we paid £590 for the print version of Nature in 2003, we should only have
paid £800 for the print version of Nature in 2004 (ref:
http://npg.nature.com/npg/servlet/Form?action=submit&form=07_price) I make
that a 35% increase in price, not the 57% I quoted. However, that is still a
hefty increase in price.
Some people may ask why do we still have a print subscription at all. The
answer is if we ever cancelled our online subscription to Nature, we would
have no rights to access the backfile - Nature currently operates an all or
nothing online only site license. As a result we have almost no choice but
to maintain a print subscription to this title. We have to do the same with
Science.
We are now contacting our agent to get a refund.
Cheers
Lesley
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lesley Crawshaw, Faculty Information Consultant,
Learning and Information Services,
University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, AL10 9AB UK
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
phone: 01707 284662 fax: 01707 284666
web: http://www.herts.ac.uk/lis/subjects/natsci/ejournal/
list owner: [log in to unmask]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-----Original Message-----
From: Lesley Crawshaw [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 18 May 2004 13:03
To: 'An informal open list set up by the UK Serials Group'
Subject: RE: Nature price increases
Hi,
Following on from what James said about NPG e-journals being previously
under priced in comparison with the print. It's not only the electronic
version of Nature that has increased in price.
We still take a print version of Nature (as well as a subscription to the
e-version) and were shocked to find that whereas last year we paid just
under £590 for the print version this year we paid £927 for the print
version. That's a whopping 57% increase in price!! I was told by NPG that
this large increase was because they hadn't increased the price of the print
version for several years now. How is one expected to budget for such large
and unexpected price increases?
Cheers
Lesley
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lesley Crawshaw, Faculty Information Consultant,
Learning and Information Services,
University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, AL10 9AB UK
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
phone: 01707 284662 fax: 01707 284666
web: http://www.herts.ac.uk/lis/subjects/natsci/ejournal/
list owner: [log in to unmask]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-----Original Message-----
From: An informal open list set up by the UK Serials Group
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of James Watson
Sent: 05 May 2004 17:27
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Nature price increases
Dear all,
Here at UCL we've just received our quote for the renewal of the majority of
our Nature e-journals. I was rather shocked to discover that the price
increase across the 14 titles was nearly 75% on last year.
I contacted NPG about the large price increase and the reasons that were
given were the introduction of COUNTER compliant stats and that the
e-journals were previously under priced in comparison with the print.
hmm. Seems like a big increase to me...
Has everyone else out there had a similar experience?
cheers
James
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
James Watson
Electronic Journals Administrator
Library Services
University College London
Gower Street
London
WC1E 6BT
020 7679 7380
[log in to unmask]
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/ejournal/
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