Subject: [CODE4LIB] OT(?) - Historical journal value data?

From: Nate Vack <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 08:38:46 -0500

OK, here's one for y'all,

Anyone know of a source of historical journal value data? I've seen
the "OMG Article Costs Will Bury Libraries" graph a million times, but
I've only ever seen spotty data points for cost/article or
cost/character.

Anyone know if that data exists, and where it might be found?

Thanks,
-Nate

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From: Matt Amory <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 09:52:02 -0400

The small academic library where I process serials is asking this
question as well.  We are pinched for space, and under pressure to
discard underutilized old hard copies of journals.  The difficulty in
quantifying and planning to manage value/article or value/character is
that patterns of historical article use vary so widely and
subscription costs are on such an exponential growth trajectory.
Sorry to comiserate more than help...

-- 
Matt Amory
(917) 771-4157
[email-masked]

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From: Mike Taylor <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 15:03:40 +0100

> Anyone know if that data exists, and where it might be found?

There is some good data in the links to John Baez's website, and Don
Knuth's open letter, found in Scott Aaronson's review of The Access
Principle (which is couched as a review but is really a call to arms,
and one well worth reading).
	http://www.scottaaronson.com/writings/journal.html

 _/|_	 ___________________________________________________________________
/o ) \/  Mike Taylor    <[email-masked]>    http://www.miketaylor.org.uk
)_v__/\  "You question the worthiness of my code?  I should kill you
	 where you stand!" -- Klingon Programming Mantra

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From: Karen Coyle <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 07:04:09 -0700

Library Journal does a periodicals price survey, or at least used to. 
Here's 2007
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6431958.html

At the end of the article is some historical data.

kc

-- 
-----------------------------------
Karen Coyle / Digital Library Consultant
[email-masked] http://www.kcoyle.net
ph.: 510-540-7596   skype: kcoylenet
fx.: 510-848-3913
mo.: 510-435-8234
------------------------------------

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From: Mike Taylor <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 15:05:51 +0100

> 	http://www.scottaaronson.com/writings/journal.html

And, sorry, forgot to mention, there is some data within my own field
here:
	http://openpaleo.blogspot.com/2009/05/true-cost-of-journal-subscriptions.html

 _/|_	 ___________________________________________________________________
/o ) \/  Mike Taylor    <[email-masked]>    http://www.miketaylor.org.uk
)_v__/\  "You're a very silly man and I'm not going to interview you" --
	 Monty Python's Flying Circus.

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From: Keith Jenkins <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 13:44:04 -0400

On Thu, May 21, 2009 at 9:38 AM, Nate Vack <[email-masked]> wrote:
> Anyone know of a source of historical journal value data?

I know that, for historical prices of specific journal titles, a
former colleague would consult our old paper copies of Ulrich's.  (The
online version of Ulrich's only has current pricing info.)

Keith