Essential Efficiencies is a series of ideas designed to help scholars, scholarly publishers, and librarians to move forward towards open access and a sustainable scholarly publishing system despite difficult economic times. This series, began in December 2008, is closedly related to the Transitioning to Open Access Series.
Growing Canadian membership in DOAJ!. The number of fully open access, peer-reviewed journals is substantial, and growing. This is great news for the collections budget, but creates a need for efficiencies in tracking the journals. A DOAJ membership is a GREAT bargain in comparison to either doing the work of tracking at your library, or searching and re-searching journals if these journals are not tracked and added to the library's collection.
Usage-based pricing and open access as a catalyst for change
Elsevier plus LexisNexis earned more than $1.5 billion in profit in 2008. The increasing profits at STM publishers at a time of global economic crisis is a great illustration of an inelastic market.
Who Knows Where the Next Great Idea will come from? Why open access to the world's knowledge is a great boon in tough times. A modicum of curiosity and free access to the world's knowledge provide the means for anyone to learn to their heart's content; out of such learning will come some of the great ideas that are needed to kickstart new businesses for a new, green, knowledge-based economy.
Wiley Revenues up 36% in 2008. Will such strong financial health for a large scholarly publisher - revenues up to $1.7 billion in 2008 from $1 billion in 2007, coupled with an overarching goal of good long-term relationships with customers, mean relief for library customers hard-hit by the financial crisis?
Molecular Biology of the Cell, or Why Open Access by Article Processing Fees Sometimes Just Makes Sense
A re-analysis of data provided by the American Society for Cell Biology illustrates that if Molecular Biology of the Cell were to drop its print edition, article processing fees (page and colour charges) are already covering all but 7% of the costs - and possibly all of the costs. Dropping print and going online / open access not only brings access benefits for authors, but also the opportunity to add more colour without incurring most cost.
Re: Should university presses adopt an OA model
Originally posted to Liblicense. Points out the need for libraries to adopt an holistic approach to scholarly communication, and support affordable alternatives, such as scholarly society publishing - and open access.
Bioline International: Supporting Quality Open Access Publishing in the Developing World. The not-for-profit Bioline International helps publishers in the developing world to develop a high-quality online, open access presence. Libraries are encouraged to join the Bioline International membership program; at $500 per library, this is less than the cost of a single journal subscription in most academic fields, and a whole lot easier than providing this kind of support ever was in print!
Cost-Free Open Data with Google and Amazon
Drop print to save money, with print-on-demand for those who like print
A journal that is produced in both print and electronic form can save about 20% - 30% of costs by dropping print, and moving to print-on-demand (POD). One innovative open access journal is using POD as a means to EARN revenue.
Pre-Submission Peer Review to Reduce Journal Costs
When authors seek reviews from colleagues even before submitting a paper for publication, the result is likely a higher quality paper, in less need of work in the reviewing, editing and copyediting stages. Journals that save money in this fashion are well advised to pass savings along to customers, to minimize potential cancellations.
