Transcript The WEB: Challenge and Opportunity For an Independent Journal

The Web: Challenge and
Opportunity For an Independent
Journal
Klaus Kaiser
Houston Journal of Mathematics
[email protected]
http://math.uh.edu/~hjm
Contents
1.
2.
3.
4.
What is an Independent Journal
Print Editions
Electronic Editions
Legal and Business Decisions
1. Pricing Electronic Editions
2. The License Agreement Form and Interlibrary
Loans
3. Implementation and Administration of Restricted
Internet Access
5. Caveat the Acrobat Reader
Independent Journals
• One should differentiate between independent
publishers and independent journals.
• Independent publishers: Not part of publishing and
media giants. Heldermann, IP are examples
• Independent journals: Editors function also as
publisher. Typical: HJM, IJM, Michigan Math
Journal, …
• Electronic Journals: Mostly independent. Free
with regularly published hardcopies considered as
wave of the future
Print Editions
• Observation as Editor: Mathematicians still want
to see their work the old fashioned way: printed on
paper. And they want reprints.
• Quality of typesetting and printing still matters
• Because of LaTeX, commercial journals have lost
their edge. Independent journals can look equally
good, but are much cheaper.
• HJM requests properly prepared LaTex files!
• Print editions will disappear only if they are
considered obsolete, not because of high costs of
printing.
Electronic Editions
• HJM Website is strictly text based. Puts content
over form. Design is mainly a matter of taste.
• Most important part: Titles and Abstracts. HJM
requires authors to provide a Web-abstract.
• HJM has an index of all published papers. Newer
papers are linked to Web editions.
• Papers are accessible as .pdf files. No .tex or dvi
• Libraries didn’t want a CD.
Pricing Electronic Editions
Editions
• Difficulty with pricing Electronic Editions is that
nobody knows what kind of overall impact it will
have on the subscription base.
• Electronic access diminishes the need for multiple
copies. Cancellation of this type have occurred,
mainly in Germany.
• Comprehensive Website increases visibility and
status of the journal. Backlog increased by 300%.
Number of subscriptions remained stable.
• For subscribers of the print edition, access is free.
• New subscribers have access to all files, serves as
incentive to subscribe.
• Cancellation causes loss of access, even for paid
issues.
• Logic: Access to files is a privilege for which a
library never had to pay. Libraries support this
kind of policy.
• Electronic issues share the same upfront editorial
work and require additional time for posting.
Thus, it makes sense to price them separately.
Independent journals cannot afford additional
bookkeeping. Pricing policy is determined by
simplicity.
The License Agreement Form
and Interlibrary Loans
• The LAF has several parts, Scope of License and
copyright clause are the most critical ones.
• We adopted the position the AMS held 1998. Our
Copyright clause reads: “Printing and
Downloading of the Electronic Version of HJM
articles is permitted solely for Individual Users
and only at Permitted Sites.”
• This means: No ILL in any form. But why is this
still our position?
• Answer: There are no loans involved. The
“lending” library is not giving up the use of
anything, and the “borrowing” library is in effect
using IP numbers outside the scope of the license.
• Should restricted use of files be allowed, that is,
printouts from files. Answer: No!
• Why: You cannot tell a library how to do its mail!
• A library may scan a printout as a .pdf file for
transmission. Such files are inferior to the original
and may be even be corrupted. A publisher should
not tolerate circulation of such bad copies.
• Some libraries have provided HJM only with IP
numbers from math. depts., circumventing
problems honoring ILL requests.
• Very few libraries questioned HJM’s ILL policy
but finally agreed with us when they realized that
HJM is so inexpensive that every library with
some budget can afford it.
• Future solution? State agencies may negotiate with
publishers licenses for their whole system of
public libraries, therefore eliminating the need for
ILL’s of electronic files. Or a consortium of
libraries makes long term subscription
commitments to selected journals in exchange for
free internet access.
• Unless this happens: Cheap access for everybody
maybe the best solution.
Implementation and
Administration of Access
• Independent journals usually have access to departmental
servers to establish Internet presence. For HJM there was
no need to go outside, e.g., join Project Euclid.
• Because page search is provided by browsers and thanks
to Google, even site search is possible. Thus Websites of
independent share many features of commercial sites.
• Subscription agencies co-operate with journals, advertise
electronic access, and keep records.
• Transition from “Print” to “Print plus electronic Access”
has been straightforward and smooth.
Caveat the Acrobat Reader
• The .pdf file format is intimately connected with
the Adobe Software company and two of its
products: Acrobat and Acrobat Reader.
• However, the .pdf format is open source. There are
various methods available to convert LaTex files
to .pdf. Many are free, some are based on Acrobat
or other commercial software. Display and
printing is not always perfect.
• No matter how it has been done, new upgrades of
AR have caused problems to older .pdf files.
• This is an unacceptable situation. What can we
do?
• Possible solution: Collect money from publishers
to commission developers to create the pieces for
an “academic” Acrobat.
• Costs: Fraction of printing costs. According to my
info, Computer dept. cannot do this.
• I feel that a “Certification Process” is necessary.
Or ‘Seal of Approval” by professional
organizations, e.g. AMS. They have done this 15
years ago for word-processors and printers.
• Regular recompilation of TeX sources to .pdf is
unrealistic. Upgrades of LaTeX and AMS
enhancements are not downward compatible.
• Who is responsible for archiving?
• Problem: Library don’t own files and publishers
have, in general, no legal responsibility.
• It wouldn’t be much of a problem if we had a
reliable reader.
• Another problem: HTML is vastly improving and
file formats for different application programs are
converging to uniform standards. At one point in
the future, Adobe might have no reason to support
the Acrobat.
• The .ps and .pdf file formats seem to be essential
for publishing mathematics. A business oriented
company, like Adobe, has no vested interest in
scientific matters. It’s our responsibility.
Conclusion
• It seems that every stage of the still ongoing
electronic revolution has fostered the development
of independent journals.
• Typical independents, like Il.J.M., IN. Math J.,
HJM,.. are growing at a rapid pace and keep prices
under control.
• Would be interesting to see, whether some editors
of commercial journals will decide to go
independent or that more will switch to academic
publishers, as it has already happened in case of a
prominent journal of comp. science.