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Current Subscribers: 395
CONTENTS
55.1: Query - Alternative/Complementary Medicine Core
List
55.2: Query - Is That a Book in your Pocket?
55.3: Query - Medicare Medical Necessity Guide
55.4: Review - Bookscope Medical Books Database
55.5: Commentary - National Cancer Institute Gives JNCI
to Oxford
55.6: Report - Colloquium on Scholarly Communications
Issues
55.7: Report - Serials Price Projections (EBSCO)
55.8: Report - Serials Price Projections (Faxon)
55.9: Commentary - Serials Price Projections
55.10: Report - Book Price Trends (Majors)
55.11: Announcement - New Book: Acquisitions in Health
Sciences Libraries
From: Diana Zinnato, Thomas Jefferson Univ. <zinnato@jeflin.tju.edu>
I am interested in hearing from fellow BLABers about any efforts they have undertaken to build an Alternative/Complementary Medicine collection for their faculty (not for the public or patient education). There will soon be a Center for Integrative Medicine here at TJU and I am working on building a collection to support it. We already have more than 250 books, journals or videos in this area that have been collected over the years but I am looking for information about what might constitute a "core" collection. Any assistance will be greatly appreciated.
[Ed. Note: Diana needs this info ASAP, so please send responses directly to her and she will summarize them for a future issue. Thanks. ]
From: Mark Funk, Cornell Univ. Medical Library <mefunk@mail.med.cornell.edu>
Does anyone know of a standard size for what most of us call a "pocketbook" medical book? These are the books you see in medical bookstores, marketed primarily to students and residents, and of a convenient size to carry in their lab coats/jackets. Many are spiral bound, but some have perfect binding (talk about your oxymoron...)
Anyway, I am trying to determine a size definition so that my approval plan vendor will not send them on approval. We seem to have different ideas of just how big those pockets are. I just returned a book that was 5 inches wide by 8.5 inches tall that I considered a pocketbook. To me, anything smaller than this qualifies. Does anyone use a standard definition, or do we need ANSI to get busy on this?
From: Danny Jones, U. Texas Health Sci. Center <jones@uthscsa.edu>
We've been asked to purchase the following book which I'm not familiar with. I'm curious if anyone has purchased it, or can comment on its usefulness (whether or not you have the Southwestern states edition).
MEDICARE MEDICAL NECESSITY GUIDE FOR LABORATORY PROCEDURES
(for the Southwestern states Arizona/Nevada/New Mexico/Oklahoma/Texas)
Barrington, IL. Venture Resources Publishing, [1997] $235.00
Publishers address is 18-2 East Dundee Road, #202 Barrington, IL 60010
Phone: 800-522-3285 \ 847-836-9212 fax: 847-381-4606
When we called their 800 number during regular business hours we got a recording which makes me a bit skeptical about a $235 purchase.
From: Ginnie Lingle, Hershey Medical Center <LINGLE@SHRSYS.HSLC.ORG>
While reading the _MLA News_ last month, I noticed an ad for _Bookscope Medical_ by Primary Source Media, formerly Research Publications International. The product is a monthly subscription CD-ROM that according to the advertisement "delivers instant access to title information -- including recent Brandon-Hill recommended titles -- from books, anthologies, symposiums, series and proceedings." An 800 number was included to call for a free preview which I received very promptly within a week.
The preview disk is in fact a copy of the full product and not just a "demo disk". It comes with a manual, licensing documentation, and a pro-forma invoice for a year's subscription which for 1996-1997 is $595 plus $60 shipping and handling. The product can be used and returned within 30-days at no charge. The Windows version that I received was very easy to install taking less than ten minutes. The product is very easy to use as well with clearly defined search fields, a brief format display box, and a more complete record display box. Each title has a full-record display with standard bibliographic information such as author, title, publisher, date, ISBN no., subject descriptors and more. A contents display, summary note, author biography, or reference to a published book review are available for many of the books listed, but not all.
_Bookscope_ is advertised as the only database with a searchable table of contents for books, which makes me think that it would be a useful tool for reference questions or interlibrary loan verification as well as collection development. The database is based on bibliographic data from Blackwell North America and the book reviews are cited from many journals. Searches of the database can be done by keywords or an exact phrase using one or any combination of four primary search fields - author, title, subject or ISBN. Six additional "filters" can be applied to further narrow retrieval. They are date, booktype, geographic region, time period covered, readership level, and records new to the database since the last update. The software also has a "browsing" feature on the author, title, and subject fields, which is very helpful if you don't know the exact spelling of a name or if you want to view possible terms for subject searching. The subject list contains all available Library of Congress subject headings as sell as subject descriptors used by Blackwell North American. I didn't notice that the software has any "mapping" or "tree-structure" features, but it does seem to automatically truncate to include terms with subheadings in the retrieval. Phrases can be searched in quotes and the system does allow searching by nesting, adjacency, wildcards, and with Boolean connectors.
The brief display list can be sorted alphabetically by author or title or by publication date, most recent first. The January 1997 disk contained pre-publication information on 1997 titles. Search results can also be printed or saved to a file. Print parameters include "print entire list" or print by specific fields.
Version 2.0 of the full-version of _Bookscope_ contains information from over 1,400 publishers on more than 450,000 book titles. Over 120,000 titles have searchable table of contents and over 50,000 new titles are added each year on the last six years of English language book publishing. The medical titles are a significant subset of the full version.
I think that this tool would be very useful for collection development, reference assistance, and interlibrary loan verification. A network site license is available and table of contents information can be used in an online public access catalog upon completion of an additional license agreement. Primary Source Media can be contacted at 1-800-444-0799 or by email at: sales@psmedia.com.
Are there any tools other than Doody publications that are available for new book information? How do you identify what titles to purchase? I would be glad to do a summary for the next issue of BLAB. Contact me at lingle@hslc.org or 717-531-8581. Thanks.
From: Deborah Ruck, Medical College of Wisconsin <druck@post.its.mcw.edu>
We have received the Journal of the National Cancer Institute at no charge for several years because of our status as a selective depository library for U.S. Government Documents. We have had 289 uses of this title in 1996. The 1/31/97 issue of Administrative Notes Technical Supplement announced on p.8 that this title has been "discontinued by publisher as a depository item effective 1/1/97." This change has not been announced in the paper version of the journal as of 12/4/96, the latest issue we have received. They are now publishing the journal in cooperation with Oxford University Press. There is an announcement on the inside front cover that states "There's Only One Way to Keep This Journal In Your Hands. Become an NCI Information Associate." It now costs individuals $100(U.S. membership) or $150(International membership) per year to obtain the journal. I called the NCI today and was told that libraries would have to pay $150 per year to become an associate.
According to the information given in the 12/4/96 issue: "The Journal of the National Cancer Institute has been deemed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to be necessary in the transaction of the public business required by law of this department. Use of funds for printing this periodical has been approved by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. All material published in the journal is in the public domain; permission to reproduce any portion of its contents is, therefore, not necessary."
Do the rules change now that Oxford University Press is involved in publishing this journal? It looks that way, doesn't it? The representative from NCI that I spoke to today said that the electronic version of the journal will be full text and that you will need to become an associate to have continued access. A representative from Oxford University Press told me today that effective 1/1/97 material published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute is NOT part of the public domain anymore and written permission is required to reproduce the contents. What do people think of this development and the possible effects on public access to the journal? For us to continue to subscribe to this journal we will have to cut another title. How many other titles will fall out of the program into the commercial sector? How will libraries be able to afford to provide access to federal information if this trend continues? Why do we pay taxes?? The depository program was developed to guarantee access at low cost to designated libraries in every state. I plan on contacting my U.S. Senators and Representatives!
From: Adrian Alexander, The Faxon Company, Inc. <alexander@faxon.com>
The Faxon Institute hosted a Colloquium on Scholarly Communications Issues on February 12 and 13, 1997 at the Mayflower Hotel, in Washington D.C. The Colloquium featured addresses by world-renowned scientist Stephen Jay Gould and Librarian of Congress Emeritus Daniel J. Boorstin plus a series of roundtable discussions moderated by National Public Radio's Robert Siegel and Educom President Bob Heterick.
Approximately seventy library administrators and managers, scholarly publishers, and other interested parties attended the colloquium. Libraries represented included several members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), academic health sciences libraries, medium-sized academic libraries, federal research facilities, and corporate research centers. Publishers represented included Elsevier Science, Academic Press, Kluwer Academic, Blackwell Publishers, American Chemical Society, American Institute of Physics, New York University Press, Sage Publications, and the American Psychological Association. Secondary publishers such as I.S.I. and OCLC also were represented. Other attendees included Peter R. Young, Executive Director of the U.S. National Commission on Libraries & Information Sciences, and John C. Vaughn, Executive Vice-President of the Association of American Universities.
The colloquium got underway Wednesday evening, February 12, with a dinner and an enlightening and entertaining speech by Dr. Stephen Jay Gould. Dr. Gould compared and contrasted change in human societies with the same phenomenon in biological systems and evolutionary theories such as his own theory of interrupted equilibrium.
On Thursday morning, February 13, the participants were treated to an excellent overview of the development of the scholarly communications process by Dr. Daniel J. Boorstin. This address set the stage for a series of four "roundtable" discussion sessions on various aspects of the scholarly communications process. These sessions were videotaped and will be available for distribution in the near future. The first roundtable, moderated by NPR's Robert Siegel, explored issues related to the creation of scholarly information. Topics included the future of the "publish or perish" reward system, the impact of electronic publishing on scholarly communications and future roles for publishers.
The second roundtable was moderated by Bob Heterick of Educom and addressed issues related to distribution of scholarly information. Topics such as changing roles for both libraries and publishers article-based distribution vs. subscription-based distribution were discussed. Other important issues that came up in this important session included archiving of electronic journals (who will be responsible?) and providing more efficient access to electronic journals for the end user.
Perhaps the liveliest roundtable of the meeting was devoted to ownership issues related to scholarly information. Moderated by Robert Siegel, this group discussed license agreements (including the need for a "standard" license), the adequacy of current legislation, and retention of copyright by "the academy." One prominent publisher pointed out that both sides needed to work together to develop "protocols" that would satisfy both parties rather than trying to change current copyright law, which will be controlled by much more powerful intellectual property players than those of us involved in scholarly communications.
The final roundtable session of the day, moderated by Bob Heterick, explored issues related to the economics of scholarly information. Topics discussed included the costs to publishers for developing electronic products while maintaining print journals, current vs. emerging pricing models for electronic journals, and the idea that universities should seek ways to recover more of the economic value of their intellectual property.
Throughout the day, it was mentioned several times that the one that was missing from the colloquium was input from the real "creators" of scholarly information and this point was made again during the wrap-up segment at the end of the day. Another suggestion was that chief academic officers be included in subsequent programs.
From: Lynn Fortney, EBSCO Subscription Services <lynnf@ebsco.com>
Here's the bad news [for next year] as EBSCO sees it. As has been reported elsewhere, a few major publishers increased their 1997 prices well beyond what anyone expected. Is it just a coincidence that these same publishers have also developed electronic editions of their journals?
EBSCO Subscription Services 1997 Subscription Historical Price Analysis, and Preliminary Price Projections for 1998 Subscriptions
Released: February 1997
Subscription prices for 1997 increased by 10 to 12 percent on an average over 1996 subscription rates.
In 1997, ARL libraries experienced an average price increase of 10.7 percent; college and university libraries, an average increase of 10.1 percent; and academic medical libraries, an average increase of 11.9 percent. These figures are based on a weighted average of the actual ordering patterns of a significant number of representative libraries purchasing in U.S. dollars and purchasing both U.S. and non-U.S. titles.
Preliminary Price Projections for 1998 Subscriptions
EBSCO is currently projecting a price increase for 1998 subscriptions of 10 to 11 percent for U.S. journals and 9 to 11 percent for non-U.S. journals. These projections are based on historical price increase data, preliminary information received from publishers and the current relative value of the U.S. dollar compared to major European currencies.
Price increase factors
Ultimate price increases for non-U.S. journals will depend on the value of the currency in which subscribers are invoiced as compared to the currency of the publisher. The U.S. dollar is currently 4 percent weaker against the British pound as compared to late summer 1996 when many British publishers set 1997 U.S. dollar selling prices. The dollar is 2 percent weaker against the pound as compared to fall 1996 when most customers were invoiced for 1997 subscriptions and prices set in non-U.S. currencies would have been converted to U.S. dollars. Conversely, the dollar has strengthened considerably against other major European currencies over the last several months. For instance, the dollar is approximately 11 percent stronger against both the German mark and the Dutch guilder when compared to late summer 1996; and roughly 9 percent stronger when compared to fall 1996.
Based on the current strength of the dollar in relation to major European currencies, it would be reasonable for EBSCO to project price increases for non-U.S. journals below our current estimate of 9 to 11 percent. However, due to the uncertainty of currency exchange rates, (i.e., the G-7 is discussing measures to try to reverse the dollar's rise in value in relation to European currencies) we are hesitant to make such an aggressive projection at this time.
In addition to currency exchange, the accelerating emergence of electronic journals will most likely impact 1998 journal price increases. The prospect of electronic journals appears to have caused some uncertainty with regard to the traditional price-setting processes of publishers. We believe this uncertainty impacted price increases for some 1997 journals as a few publishers' price increases were higher than initially communicated to EBSCO. The effect of continuing serial cancellations on price increases also should not be understated. As total circulation falls, publishers increase subscription rates to replace revenue lost due to cancellations. In addition to currency exchange rates, cancellations and the prospect of electronic journals, other factors affecting journal prices include: page increases, volume expansion and basic inflation.
Conservative Budgeting As always, EBSCO recommends all customers add 2 to 5 percent to the estimated price increases for non-domestic journals to protect their budgets from a weakening of the currency in which they are invoiced between now and when subscription rates are paid.
From: Adrian Alexander, Faxon <Alexander@faxon.com>
FAXON'S 1998 PRELIMINARY PRICE PROJECTIONS
Based on the latest information on publisher costs, world economic conditions, and the current and projected values of the US dollar, Faxon is projecting the following changes in journal subscription prices for the 1998 subscription year. Please note that these are preliminary projections based on current conditions and are subject to change as the year progresses.
We are projecting an approximate overall increase of 10.6% for a typical academic research collection. This estimate is based on our expectation that paper prices will remain stable, the US dollar will remain strong against the major European currencies, and that the stronger pound sterling will inflate UK prices by 5% to 7%.
KEY FACTORS
General Inflation: Publishers in the U.S. and in Britain have indicated that they expect their general cost of doing business to increase by about 2.5% this year. Continental European publishers report a slightly lower inflation factor of 2.0%.
Paper and Postage: We expect paper prices to remain stable for 1998. However, we do expect to see some increases as a result of postal rate hikes. Classification reform, which began implementation during 1996, resulted in increased costs for second class mailers unable to comply with the more stringent requirements. Our sources indicate that a rate increase will be filed in the spring and, if approved, implemented during early 1998. We have therefore included a small increase for postage of 0.25% for 1998.
Page/Volume Increase: Continued increases in manuscript submissions and pressures to publish will increase publishers costs. We are therefore estimating a 3.0% to 3.5% increase again this year.
Cancellations: Subscription cancellations and shifts to electronic access will continue to be a major factor in publishers pricing decisions. We will be able to provide a more accurate estimate of this factor later this year when publishers have completed their analysis of 1997 renewals. We have estimated cancellation rates of about 4.5% for U.S. and U.K. publishers and 5.5% for Continental European publishers.
Currency: We expect the US dollar to remain strong through 1997 against the major European currencies. Inflation generally is low in continental Europe, so we are projecting no increase in price from these publishers as a result of currency exchange, and perhaps a DECREASE of as much as 3.0% in some cases. However, we do expect the pound sterling to remain relatively strong against the dollar, inflating prices for UK-published journals by as much as 5 to 7%. There is speculation that the upcoming elections in Great Britain will result in an interest rate hike during the second half of 1997. We will keep a close eye on the situation, and report any changes as the year progresses.
SUMMARY
North American Titles - 10.25% Continental European Titles - 8.25 to 11.25% United Kingdom Titles - 15.75% to 17.75% Other - 7.6%
From: The Editor
In years past, our university budgeting office based allocations for library materials on inflation factors like the ones outlined above. Although the budget planners rarely gave us the full amount of increase that we projected, they at least paid attention to our projections. Starting this year, however, the only university budgeting that is based on special inflation factors like these is for costs over which the university has no control -- like union wage agreements and possibly the cost of utilities. Now we simply get, if we are lucky, the standard administrative-unit increase of approximately 2 to 3% and are expected to reduce the level of purchasing as needed to meet that budget. I'm sure we are not alone in this, and therefore these price projections are of interest only insofar as they help us project the number of titles that will need to be cancelled. Does anyone think that publishers really understand this situation? It amounts to a programmed death cycle for journals, which only the publishers have the power to prevent.
From: Sherry Thompson, Majors Scientific Bks.<thompso@majors.com>
The "Majors Statistical Summary New Book Receipts Report" is an account of the titles received by Majors over a determined period, sorted by both publisher and category. Published in the Summer and Winter issues of A Majors Report for Medical Librarians, it has served as a valuable resource to librarians, publishers, and bookstore managers as they consider trends and publishing patterns in the health sciences. The 1996 compilation revealed the following:
The number of new titles received by Majors during 1996 was 3,956, an increase of 251 or 6.8% over the previous year. The average cost of a new title for 1996 was $80.31, a .6% decrease from 1995's $80.85. It is important to note that both paper and electronic products are included in the total count of new titles. Next year's report will reflect paper and electronic products separately.
Ranking first in number of new titles published in 1996 is Mosby with 562. Oxford University Press came in second with 234 new titles, an increase of 46% over 1995.
The most prolific category for 1996 was Clinical Psychiatry with 148 new titles, a 56% increase over 1995. Surgery, number one in 1995, dropped to second with 145 titles. The category of Nephrology reflected the highest average list price at $239.50, a 49% increase over 1995.
[Editor's Note: Some caution is in order in interpreting the apparent drop in the cost of books. My guess is that it is strongly influenced by the growing number of study-aid books that are being published. At this library, we are tracking about a 5% annual increase in the cost of standard textbooks and research monographs.]
From: The Editor
Volume 5 of the series Current Practice in Health Sciences Librarianship,
published jointly by the Medical Library Association and Scarecrow Press
has just been released. The title of the volume is "Acquisitions
in Health Sciences Libraries" and the volume editor is ... well,
me. The excellent chapter authors are Pat Walter (overview), Mark Funk
(book acquisitions), Judy Wilkerson and Danny Jones (serials acquisitions),
Bobbie Carlson (serials processes), and Janis Brown (AV and digital media
acquisitions). Ordering information is as follows: Scarecrow Press (4720
Boston Way, Lanham, MD 20706), 1997. ISBN: 0-8108-3052-3; Price: $39.50.
(Also watch for Volume 4: Collection Development, coauthored by Dottie
Eakin and our late friend Dan Richards, due out shortly).
| The BIOMEDICAL LIBRARY ACQUISITIONS BULLETIN (ISSN: 1064-699X) is published
by the Medical Library Association's Collection Development Section with
the cooperation of the University of Southern California Norris Medical
Library. BLAB is published more or less monthly, and includes items of
news and opinion contributed by its readers concerning biomedical library
acquisitions.
Editor: David H. Morse: dmorse@hsc.usc.edu. Paper mail: USC Norris Medical Library, 2003 Zonal Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90033. Telephone: (213) 342-1134. The BULLETIN is distributed free of charge, in electronic form only. Back issues of BLAB are available at http://colldev.mlanet.org/BLAB/ Requests for subscriptions and all editorial correspondence should be sent to the editor <dmorse@hsc.usc.edu>. |