Comments on: The best things in life were free http://airminded.org/2009/07/01/the-best-things-in-life-were-free/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-best-things-in-life-were-free Airpower and British society, 1908-1941 Fri, 25 May 2012 16:07:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Airminded · Airpower: a bibliography of British aviation history http://airminded.org/2009/07/01/the-best-things-in-life-were-free/comment-page-1/#comment-109765 Airminded · Airpower: a bibliography of British aviation history Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:51:37 +0000 http://airminded.org/?p=2164#comment-109765 [...] quite inadequate response to the paywalling of bibliographies is to set up your own, which I’ve made a start at here. It’s a little narrower in focus [...] [...] quite inadequate response to the paywalling of bibliographies is to set up your own, which I’ve made a start at here. It’s a little narrower in focus [...]

]]> By: Brett Holman http://airminded.org/2009/07/01/the-best-things-in-life-were-free/comment-page-1/#comment-107807 Brett Holman Sat, 11 Jul 2009 06:15:33 +0000 http://airminded.org/?p=2164#comment-107807 Thanks, Kay -- here's a <a href="http://h-net.msu.edu/cgi-bin/logbrowse.pl?trx=vx&list=H-Albion&month=0907&week=b&msg=/rdFCQopSaCu/7JlJFzr0w&user=&pw=" rel="nofollow">link</a> for those not subscribed to H-Albion. It's clear that the RHS carefully considered its options, and maybe commercialisation was the best choice open to it. But a more open consultation process before the decision would have been desirable. Thanks, Kay -- here's a link for those not subscribed to H-Albion. It's clear that the RHS carefully considered its options, and maybe commercialisation was the best choice open to it. But a more open consultation process before the decision would have been desirable.

]]> By: Chris Williams http://airminded.org/2009/07/01/the-best-things-in-life-were-free/comment-page-1/#comment-107676 Chris Williams Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:40:49 +0000 http://airminded.org/?p=2164#comment-107676 The explanation is fine as far as it goes, but it doesn't answer the question I wanted it to: which was did they talk to JISC? And if so, what did JISC say? They are right to note that we need 'a debate' (ie a change of policy) about the way that there is currently money for development but not for sustainability. We might also check out the value-added (even measured in crude REF terms) of a pound spent on this resource compared to a pound spent on the other things that the AHRC funds. The explanation is fine as far as it goes, but it doesn't answer the question I wanted it to: which was did they talk to JISC? And if so, what did JISC say?

They are right to note that we need 'a debate' (ie a change of policy) about the way that there is currently money for development but not for sustainability. We might also check out the value-added (even measured in crude REF terms) of a pound spent on this resource compared to a pound spent on the other things that the AHRC funds.

]]> By: Kay Woll http://airminded.org/2009/07/01/the-best-things-in-life-were-free/comment-page-1/#comment-107672 Kay Woll Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:34:14 +0000 http://airminded.org/?p=2164#comment-107672 H-Albion now has a long explanation from the Literary Director of the Royal Historical Society (Ian Archer), the President of the RHS (Colin Jones) and the Director of the Institute of Historical Research (Miles Taylor) about the decision to transform the RHS's free bibliography into the Bibliography of British and Irish History to be run on a fee-paying basis by Brepols Publishing. It fills out the picture on the funding problems faced by the project and on the considerations taken into account before the IHR and RHS took their recent decisions. However, I do not think either would have been so forthcoming without the coverage on H-Albion or here or on other blogs. I shall be interested to learn what other people think of this explanation and whether any alternative is viable. H-Albion now has a long explanation from the Literary Director of the Royal Historical Society (Ian Archer), the President of the RHS (Colin Jones) and the Director of the Institute of Historical Research (Miles Taylor) about the decision to transform the RHS's free bibliography into the Bibliography of British and Irish History to be run on a fee-paying basis by Brepols Publishing. It fills out the picture on the funding problems faced by the project and on the considerations taken into account before the IHR and RHS took their recent decisions. However, I do not think either would have been so forthcoming without the coverage on H-Albion or here or on other blogs. I shall be interested to learn what other people think of this explanation and whether any alternative is viable.

]]> By: Brett Holman http://airminded.org/2009/07/01/the-best-things-in-life-were-free/comment-page-1/#comment-107644 Brett Holman Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:43:20 +0000 http://airminded.org/?p=2164#comment-107644 Yeah, if my institution doesn't pay up at those prices I doubt I would either. Jonathan Dresner's <a href="http://www.earlymodernweb.org.uk/emn/index.php/archives/2009/07/sustainability-web20-and-a-bibliography/#comment-104652" rel="nofollow">suggestion</a> of a small fee per search would be a good alternative, and it could presumably be offered as well as the other options, even now. Yeah, if my institution doesn't pay up at those prices I doubt I would either. Jonathan Dresner's suggestion of a small fee per search would be a good alternative, and it could presumably be offered as well as the other options, even now.

]]> By: Chris Williams http://airminded.org/2009/07/01/the-best-things-in-life-were-free/comment-page-1/#comment-107639 Chris Williams Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:04:51 +0000 http://airminded.org/?p=2164#comment-107639 So, assuming that 80 History Deartments, at the very least, pay for the Campus version, that's £70,000 heading from UK public institutions towards Brepols - in addition to the money that the RHS and the AHRC are paying towards the project. Looks like a nice little earner, and the majority of the cash would still come from UK taxes. So, assuming that 80 History Deartments, at the very least, pay for the Campus version, that's £70,000 heading from UK public institutions towards Brepols - in addition to the money that the RHS and the AHRC are paying towards the project. Looks like a nice little earner, and the majority of the cash would still come from UK taxes.

]]> By: Matt http://airminded.org/2009/07/01/the-best-things-in-life-were-free/comment-page-1/#comment-107638 Matt Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:58:22 +0000 http://airminded.org/?p=2164#comment-107638 There are three different prices (<a href="http://h-net.msu.edu/cgi-bin/logbrowse.pl?trx=vx&list=H-Albion&month=0907&week=a&msg=/qZoA2jTJi56PaP535M0VQ&user=&pw=" rel="nofollow">info from H-Albion</a>): 125 Euros ($175) - An individual license 700 Euros ($972)- A Standard license, which includes IP access for 3 simultaneous users and remote access 1000 Euros ($1,389) - A Campus wide license includes unlimited IP access and remote access. There are three different prices (info from H-Albion):

125 Euros ($175) - An individual license

700 Euros ($972)- A Standard license, which includes IP access for 3
simultaneous users and remote access

1000 Euros ($1,389) - A Campus wide license includes unlimited IP
access and remote access.

]]> By: Kay Woll http://airminded.org/2009/07/01/the-best-things-in-life-were-free/comment-page-1/#comment-107636 Kay Woll Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:43:32 +0000 http://airminded.org/?p=2164#comment-107636 According to Sarah Richardson of Warwick University on H-Albion, an individual subscription to Brepol's Bibliography of British and Irish History will cost £110 plus VAT for the year from January, 2010. That is £129.25p in pounds sterling. Depending on the exchange rate - say at $1.60 to the pound - that would be over $200 U.S. Sarah Richardson thinks few, if any, individuals will be able or willing to pay a charge at this level. According to Sarah Richardson of Warwick University on H-Albion, an individual subscription to Brepol's Bibliography of British and Irish History will cost £110 plus VAT for the year from January, 2010. That is £129.25p in pounds sterling. Depending on the exchange rate - say at $1.60 to the pound - that would be over $200 U.S. Sarah Richardson thinks few, if any, individuals will be able or willing to pay a charge at this level.

]]> By: Brett Holman http://airminded.org/2009/07/01/the-best-things-in-life-were-free/comment-page-1/#comment-107596 Brett Holman Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:10:29 +0000 http://airminded.org/?p=2164#comment-107596 Gavin: Zotero 2.0 does sound tasty. Though I must admit I've never gotten into the mindset of doing a bibliography in a browser extension ... Kay: Thanks for the update -- I look forward to the response from the RHS! Alex and Jakob: IANAL, but I'd be very careful about scraping it and turning the result into something usable. It's against the TOS and I doubt Brepols would look kindly upon it. But thanks for looking into the technical side of things, Alex! Chris: We could ask them not to privatise it, but presumably that's a big part of the attraction for Brepols. And as it appears that this is a done deal, it might be hard for the RHS to change the terms at this late date. But as you said, we can try ... Gavin:

Zotero 2.0 does sound tasty. Though I must admit I've never gotten into the mindset of doing a bibliography in a browser extension ...

Kay:

Thanks for the update -- I look forward to the response from the RHS!

Alex and Jakob:

IANAL, but I'd be very careful about scraping it and turning the result into something usable. It's against the TOS and I doubt Brepols would look kindly upon it. But thanks for looking into the technical side of things, Alex!

Chris:

We could ask them not to privatise it, but presumably that's a big part of the attraction for Brepols. And as it appears that this is a done deal, it might be hard for the RHS to change the terms at this late date. But as you said, we can try ...

]]> By: Chris Williams http://airminded.org/2009/07/01/the-best-things-in-life-were-free/comment-page-1/#comment-107591 Chris Williams Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:27:24 +0000 http://airminded.org/?p=2164#comment-107591 I think that the updating is critical. It's also the thing that we can do something about ourselves, or threaten to. All we can do about the old info is ask them not to privatise it. I suggest that we do that as well. Of course, if we can crowdsource such a resource into existence, it will lower the demand from Brepols' service to such an extent that they are likely to pull out of the deal. I think that the updating is critical. It's also the thing that we can do something about ourselves, or threaten to. All we can do about the old info is ask them not to privatise it. I suggest that we do that as well.

Of course, if we can crowdsource such a resource into existence, it will lower the demand from Brepols' service to such an extent that they are likely to pull out of the deal.

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