Scientific Information: The Split between Availability and Selection « Kim Hildebrandt – mobility and information technology

A book chapter from 2006. Abstract: Content: Serial’s Crisis: Growth in scientific output results in the need for more expensive journals which results in a decrease of sales for libraries cannot afford to buy all of the journals. This leads to even higher prices raised by publishers to compensate their losses which results in even less sales; there has to be an alternative to traditional journals and the publishing culture; scientific ethics require the sharing of data; publishers start to specialize on certain areas resulting in less publishers controlling larger amounts of the journal market; new networks are needed; sharing information formally and informally; to models: 1. “subscription model”: library pays subscription fee, but: publisher selection routine according to titles that fit into the search databases 2. “open access model”: authors pay for publication; two options: either full access but problems with selection routines or limited access but therefore high quality articles; suppliers could be publishers but also universities; critical participatory mass is needed; actual need for a solution.