Re: For Whom the Gate Tolls?

From: Jean-Claude Guedon <guedon_at_ERE.UMontreal.CA> <harnad_at_COGSCI.SOTON.AC.UK>
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1998 06:03:25 -0400

I very much agree with Professor Hurtado's call for treating the
humanities somewhat differently. His remarks about the printing
bottelneck are also very important and this is where e-publishing can
really help the humanities.

However, I would like to point out one interesting financial factor. The
cost of processing humanities journals in a typical library(tracking
subscriptions, binding, shelving, repairing, etc. amounts to about a
doubling of the subscription price. Much of those costs disappear with
electronic publishing and libraries might be interest in diverting a
fraction of these savings into the promotion of e-publishing so long as
it corresponds to the kinds of criteria we are after here: no fire-wall
for knowledge, as Stevan would put it.

Jean-Claude Guedon <guedon_at_ERE.UMontreal.CA>
Received on Tue Aug 25 1998 - 19:17:43 BST