The Journal Cost Dilemma

1. increasing volume of material (growth rate),
2. technology costs (computer equipment),
3. increased distribution costs,
4. increased editorial support costs,
5. increased paper costs,
6. continuing cancelation of subscription bases
7. the `publish or perish' cycle in academia creating ever more demand for the publication of material ... and the rise of dubious quality journals that feed on this demand,
8. the practice of giving away copyright to commercial publishers which then charge libraries for the purchase of this material.

The move to electronic journals, with its R&D costs, is progressing because there are a number of potentially enhanced capabilities that medium will provide:

1. integrated media,
2. faster turnaround time,
3. cheaper distribution costs,
4. commenting capabilities,
5. full text searchability

The following ARL graph gives an overview of library materials costs and expenditures over a ten year period.

The Yale journal information pages attempt to outline the current situation and a few possible future scenarios in either discussion stage or in test mode.

created by: david.stern@yale.edu
last modification date: January 14, 2004