Springer deal with Portico -- the fine print

[Jim Stemper <stemp003@tc.umn.edu>]

[This message is being cross-posted; apologies for duplication]

Since U-Minnesota is a Portico participant library, I was happy 
to see the "Springer titles to be preserved by Portico" press 
release here until I noticed what wasn't stated -- that 
participating libraries cannot obtain access via Portico should 
they be forced to cancel a Springer title.

http://www.portico.org/news/103007.html

My *guess* (just a hunch) is that Springer doesn't want to 
endanger their "negotiated fee per title per year for ongoing 
online access."

http://www.springer.com/west/home/librarians?SGWID=4-117-7-403810-0&teaserId=68602&CENTER_ID=173614#anchor6

I have to give credit to Elsevier, Taylor and Francis, and Wiley 
for allowing such access where Springer won't.  And I wish the 
Portico announcements were more up front about this fine print, 
so that participating libraries know what they are getting (and 
not getting) for their membership fees.

With so many of us going e-only for targeted publishers, this is 
less and less a theoretical issue.  If you cancel a Springer 
title, it will cost more money (beyond what you may already be 
paying Portico) to keep those SFX buttons finding full text of 
older articles to which you once subscribed.  Clearly there is 
still a need, even with the Portico service, to continue 
requesting perpetual access rights in e-journal negotiations.

_________________________________________________________

Jim Stemper
stemp003@tc.umn.edu
University of Minnesota
Libraries
Phone:(612) 624-7082
309-19th Ave.So.
Fax:(612) 625-3428
Minneapolis, MN 55455
http://www.lib.umn.edu