Re: PostGutenberg Copyrights and Wrongs for Give-Away Research

From: Albert Henderson <chessNIC_at_COMPUSERVE.COM>
Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2001 13:19:49 -0400

on 26 Jun 2001 Fytton Rowland <J.F.Rowland_at_LBORO.AC.UK> wrote:

> More seriously, taking Henderson's point about "economic exchanges that
> course through the research communication process", I suggest that
> Elsevier, Springer, Taylor & Francis, etc., and also the American Chemical
> Society and other large "not-for-profit" publishers, should each set up a
> Foundation into which the put a large proportion of the profits from their
> scholarly publishing activities. These Foundations would then support
> research in a wide variety of academic disciplines, competed for in the
> usual way by academics submitting grant proposals. This would bring the
> companies concerned well-deserved "recognition", and would also return to
> the academic community some of the hard cash taken out of it by exorbitant
> journal prices.

        There is no need for a new financial hoard. Every major
        university already has accumulated profits and gifts that
        serve no educational purpose. THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE
        just published a lengthy description of Harvard's $19 billion,
        by Johanna Berkman (June 24 2001 p. 38-41). Read and weep.
        If Harvard's collection development had kept pace with the
        published output of science after 1940, its library would
        hold twice as many volumes as it does. Its endowment (shudder!)
        might possible have a few less $billion.

        Best wishes,

Albert Henderson
<70244.1532_at_compuserve.com>
Received on Wed Jan 03 2001 - 19:17:43 GMT