Tony Barry wrote:
> >From the safety of Australia I amd reminded of the adage of putting the fox
> in charge of the henhouse.
>
> But perhaps I am harsh. There seems to be evolving an industry of
> information aggregators which can provide efficient access to groups of
> diverse networked information resources. At the moment they are using
> libraries as the conduit to reach the end user of the services.
> But will that model last? Direct services to end users bypassing libraries
> must be an attractive option.
A few comments (sorry for the delay in responding).
a) Libraries are part of that "industry of information aggregators", as
aggregators in their own right. In NESLI librarians, through JISC and
SCONUL etc, are exercising some of their market power.
b) I'm sure direct services to end users will be increasingly attractive,
but as additional rather than replacement offerings, directed towards
those users without a library affiliation (or with a library which chooses
not to subscribe to a favourite journal). But this is no different really
from print. Academics have personal subscriptions and libraries have
library subscriptions. Students have very few subscriptions and little
cash they would be willing to spend on them (outside the 'leisure'
market!).
c) Libraries are a good market. Big budgets, well organised, still highly
conservative in their cancellations, pay in advance, willing to pay
several times the personal rate... Not something lightly abandoned!
--
Chris Rusbridge
Programme Director, Electronic Libraries Programme
The Library, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
Phone 01203 524979 Fax 01203 524981
Email [log in to unmask]
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