I concur with this. A really, really useful AALL program that should
assist both private law firm and academic law librarians.
Wendy Moorhead
Keck Mahin & Cate
Chicago, Illinois
kmc@interaccess.com
On Fri, 5 Jan 1996, Cantwell, Jacqueline, Law Lib. wrote:
>
> Last month I posted a lengthy note on the problems of transferring treatises
> to three-ringer binder sets for public county law libraries. I was
> contacted last month for permission to put my comments in the Criv-Sheet.
> Today we have had many more irate posts about Couch's pricing.
>
> I do not feel that posting complaints about price increases is productive. I
> have many questions about the publishers' pricing structures and methods. We
> librarians need an analysis of the publishing industry and not these
> re-active postings. Earlier today, a post suggested that librarians start
> reviewing new editions and supplements for substantative change. This was a
> valuable suggestion and should be part of an AALL committee's
> responsibility. In September, I attended a conference "Intellectual Property
> Rights, the Infobahn, and the Labour Movement" where the participants,
> authors and journalists, shared our concerns (Report on conference in IGC's
> labr.tech forum). We have allies!
>
> I would like AALL to sponsor a study on legal publishing. Areas for a study
> of the publishers study could include:
> 1) how has the practice of lawyers searching online for the most recent
> cases created a feeling amongst publishers that they must increase
> supplementation?
>
> 2) what kind of work is required to supplement a treatise?
>
> 3) If publishers are selling titles or consolidating different companies, do
> we have a true variety of treatises or simply multiple versions from a
> single editorial staff.
>
> 4) What prices increases affect legal publishers more: paper stock increases
> or on-line searches?
>
> 5) How much exchange of ideas exists between publishers, practicing lawyers
> and universities?
> Are we getting the kind of research and publications we need? Or is a single
> market being fought over by the publishers and other areas neglected?
>
> AALL would be better served if we analyzed the industry that provides us
> with the tools of our trade.
> To quote the old printer's adage, it costs money to make money. Just
> complaining about costs will not change things. Maybe it really does cost
> that much to produce a book for a lawyer that bills at $250 an hour. I
> realize that this is a heretical view, but if our users want certain
> materials, they will have to pay or negotiate better prices. Or they can
> do without. We cannot be everything to everyone.
> Jacqueline Cantwell
> 125-12th Street
> Oakland, California 94607
> 510-272-6465
>
>
>
> I
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Nov 14 2007 - 20:49:09 PST