I don't know, but is the question even relevant. The situation is that our
University Library has copies of both the books that I'm requesting. To be
perfectly accurate, we own four copies of one title and two of the other, so
six copies in all. All six copies would be there for any of our sighted
students to borrow without any problem. I can't imagine that any of those
students would go out and purchase a copy. The question of how much it
would cost the individual therefore, should not concern the publisher, since
our library has provided that part of the agreement. That's how I see it,
anyway.
Just by way of an aside on this same issue though: last year I personally
wanted to read a new book which had just come out in my own academic field
from a really tiny publishing outfit in Gloucestershire. I phoned the
company, explain my visual impairment, and told them that I would quite
happily either send them the money for the cost of the book or even go out
and buy the paperback myself if they would send me an e-copy. They told me
not to worry at all, and the e-copy was with me, free of charge at their
absolute insistance, by the end of the same day. Perhaps that's the
difference between small business and a major press of the type that are
giving me grief now. Supermarkets versus corner shops, as in the news
today.
Paul.
Paul Jarman,
Disability Support Officer,
2.39 Francis Bancroft Building,
Queen Mary, University of London,
Mile End Road,
LONDON. E1 4NS
Tel.: +44 (0)20 7882-2757,
Fax: +44 (0)20 7882-5223,
E-Mail: [log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion list for disabled students and their support staff.
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of George Bell
Sent: 23 January 2007 15:01
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Charge for ebooks for visually-impaired students
So how does the "admin" cost compare to the published print
price of the books in question?
George.
-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion list for disabled students and their
support staff. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Paul Jarman
Sent: 23 January 2007 14:57
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Charge for ebooks for visually-impaired
students
No! Printed copies have not been mentioned. It was just
admin costs as in
the quotation I gave in the original.
Paul.
Paul Jarman,
Disability Support Officer,
2.39 Francis Bancroft Building,
Queen Mary, University of London,
Mile End Road,
LONDON. E1 4NS
Tel.: +44 (0)20 7882-2757,
Fax: +44 (0)20 7882-5223,
E-Mail: [log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion list for disabled students and their
support staff.
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Barry G
Sent: 23 January 2007 14:41
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Charge for ebooks for visually-impaired
students
Hi Paul, was this admin cost on top of the purchase price of
a printed copy
of the book?
All the best,
Barry G
----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Jarman" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 12:49 PM
Subject: Charge for ebooks for visually-impaired students
Hello everyone,
I would very much like to know whether anyone else is being
charged by
publishers for the obtaining of e-copies of books for use by
visually-impaired students. As you all probably know, the
obtaining of
e-books for my VI students is an area which I have worked
hard on personally
over the last few years, and often with great success. I
have dealt with a
considerable number of publishers, both small and large,
across the UK, and
seldom with any real adverse reaction when I have fully
explained the
current law and the needs of my students. However, for the
first time ever,
I have today received a response from one of the UK's major
university
presses saying that, while they are happy to send me the
relevant two books
in PDF format, they will also be sending me "our invoice for
£50 plus VAT,
to cover the
administrative and postage costs involved". While I am not
going to name
the publisher, I have to say that I have only had one
previous dealing with
them, about two years ago, when they claimed that they
didn't have the
relevant title that I wanted in e-format. I should add that
I have also
heard some not very good things from others about this
particular publisher
and their willingness to help in such matters, but I will
only name and
shame if enough people come back to me on this group to say
that they are
also not used to being charged for e-books for these
purposes. All I can
say personally is that, at 50 pounds plus VAT for just two
titles, my
Department's budget would disappear very quickly indeed at
such rates,
especially with six visually-impaired students here this
year. These
particular titles were requested for one of our
post-graduate VI students,
and the reading list from which it was taken contains 63
titles alone. That
would be well over 1500 pounds alone, excluding VAT, if I
was to pay this
particular publishers so-called admin costs.
Please share your experiences with me, and, if you are quite
used to picking
up what I personally think are astronomical costs, then how
do you do it?
Paul.
Paul Jarman,
Disability Support Officer,
2.39 Francis Bancroft Building,
Queen Mary, University of London,
Mile End Road,
LONDON. E1 4NS
Tel.: +44 (0)20 7882-2757,
Fax: +44 (0)20 7882-5223,
E-Mail: [log in to unmask]
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