[Irtalk] Library subscriptions to Elsevier

[Hilton Gibson]

RLUK welcomes the publication of figures showing UK university spending on
Elsevier big-deal journal packages.   *Markets work best where there is
pricing transparency and price non-disclosure clauses in contracts never
work to the benefit of customers. * RLUK has long argued against such
clauses in journal contracts and we are pleased that all major publishers,
with the exception of Elsevier, have abandoned them.

The figures released as a result of Tim Gowers’ Freedom of Information
request show that the Russell Group pays at least £17 million annually for
access to Elsevier’s journals collection.  There is a wide variety in
prices across the Russell group members.  The lack of transparency means
that it is not obvious why this variety exists or what factors the prices
are based on.  However, it is understood that a significant part of the
pricing is based on each institution’s level of spend on print journals
from over a decade ago.

http://www.rluk.ac.uk/news/university-spend-big-deals/
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