Back to Academia?

Article Review

4. Okerson (1991) discusses the contribution of academicians towards scientific publishing in American universities. The author reveals that America’s 3500 academic libraries spend more than $1.25 billion a year on acquisitions out of which 58% spent on serials. Contrary to this, they found, about 70% of scientific journal articles are from universities. But universities are increasingly unable to ‘buy back’ their own work. It is not surprising that a vision of university based publishing captures the imagination of parts of academe. A marketing survey in 1990 determined that universities publish at most 15% of their scholar’s output.  It is a stretchy 15% including not only work of university presses, but also publications of individual academic departments, working papers and periodicals. About 90% is produced by scholarly and scientific societies as opposed to the commercial sector but soft evidence suggests that since World War II, half or more of what used to be not for profit output is now commercially published. Universities could compete and influence price by retrieving control of a proportion of the academic literature and strengthen the arm of university publishing without through lack of interest, support, glamour or profitability. In the US in 1991, university based publishing is receiving significant attention as well as tremendous re-vitalization from the university linked networks. The confluence of a number of factors suggests that the time is perfect for academe to re-affirm its commitment to wide distribution of scholarly information. The mechanisms are almost in place; the community is energetic and eager; the need is urgent.

           

 Ann Okerson (1991).  Back to Academia?: The case for American Universities to publish their own research.-LOGOS 2/2,  pp 106-112