RE: AAAS and JSTOR issues

["David Carlson" <dcarlson@lib.siu.edu>]

Regarding the suggestion that it may be time to reconsider the 
JSTOR model and look to OpenURL linking, I suggest that JSTOR 
brings a lot more to the table than this approach.

JSTOR presents a seamless, integrated approach that would be lost 
in a strict OpenURL landscape. Also, from the beginning part of 
JSTOR's value has been to serve as "a reliable and comprehensive 
archive." That is, to serve as an independent third-party (not 
library, not publisher) entity, able to certify permanence of 
access and integrity of content. These things would also be lost.

Finally, I would note that not all publishers are "able to 
maintain their own archives." Major ones (such as Science), sure, 
but another important part of JSTOR's mission is to assist other 
"scholarly associations and publishers in making the transition 
to electronic."

-- David

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu
[mailto:owner-liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Chen, Xiaotian
Sent: Monday, September 10, 2007 5:41 PM
To: liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu
Subject: RE: AAAS and JSTOR issues

Yes, AAAS's withdrawal of Sciecne from JSTOR is very
disappointing.  Since it is the first major periodical to
withdraw from JSTOR, my fear is that other publishers may follow
suit, and AAAS may have just kicked off the beginning of the end
of JSTOR.

Maybe it is the time for the library community to seriously
re-consider the JSTOR model, now that the publishers are able to
maintain their own archives and library users can get journal
article from various platforms very smoothly with the help of
OpenURL linking?

Xiaotian Chen
Bradley University Library
http://hilltop.bradley.edu/~chen/index.html