From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Msuck: nntp://news.gmane.io/gmane.science.mathematics.categories/3538 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Alexander Kurz Newsgroups: gmane.science.mathematics.categories Subject: Re: Elsevier Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2006 10:38:52 +0000 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1241019366 9188 80.91.229.2 (29 Apr 2009 15:36:06 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:36:06 +0000 (UTC) To: categories Original-X-From: rrosebru@mta.ca Tue Dec 19 10:09:29 2006 -0400 Return-path: Envelope-to: categories-list@mta.ca Delivery-date: Tue, 19 Dec 2006 10:09:29 -0400 Original-Received: from Majordom by mailserv.mta.ca with local (Exim 4.61) (envelope-from ) id 1GwfaA-0004rW-Rp for categories-list@mta.ca; Tue, 19 Dec 2006 10:04:39 -0400 Original-Sender: cat-dist@mta.ca Precedence: bulk X-Keywords: X-UID: 39 Original-Lines: 36 Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.science.mathematics.categories:3538 Archived-At: Michael Barr wrote: > I read John's manifesto, which was interesting. One thing I do not > understand is the reluctance of libraries and universities to get involved > in this. While TAC runs without any funding at all (except for the > trivial storage cost that Mt. Alison contributes), a journal publishing a > more typical 2000 pages a year would need at least a minimum of some > clerical support. A donation of $50/year by 100 universities would go a > long way. > > Several years ago one of my colleagues suggested starting a free journal > to be called McGill J. Math. But there were so many naysayers in the > department that the idea never got off the ground. As far as I can tell, > I was the only one to support the idea (and volunteer to help). Pity. > An alternative way how libraries could support electronic publications arises from the following thoughts. What will or should be the role of libraries in the digital age? Certainly, buying and storing hardcopies will play a smaller and smaller role. So libraries should have an interest in finding something else to do, just to survive as institutions themselves. What could that be? I think university libraries could become publishers of electronic journals. Universities should have an interest to host these journals, because they provide prestige for little money. As a conclusion, maybe the libraries could be convinced to DO the `clerical support'. Alexander