The Economic Foundation of Library Copyright Strategies in Europe

The author critically examines the evolution of open access libraries from the TULIP project (1991) to more recent developments. At the same time, he emphasises the role of libraries as key agents of national book policies through Public Lending Rights. After having shown the difference between the scholarly communication and the book chains, both in printed and digital form, the author points to the position that libraries hold on the distribution segment of the chains and how they are unable to turn power relations among actors to their own advantage. If content if king, organisations distributing content are normally king-makers, as the example of STM publishers clearly shows. Nevertheless, fragmentation and the assumption that what is good for libraries is also good for users do not allow libraries to understand the needs of the different stakeholders present in the value chain and provide appropriate services to them. This aspect is emphasised further in the book trade, where libraries have been hesitant in realising the economic foundation of copyright regulations which consists of trading off “the costs of limiting access to a work against the benefits of providing incentives to create the work in the first place” (Landes & Posner). After having examined library copyright strategies both in the book trade and in scholarly communication with a thorough discussion on (e-)lending and controlled digital lending, the author claims that copyright regulations are not written in the sky but on a solid foundation of economic forces which shape the book and information chains. Libraries’ strategies should aim to reinforce their relevance in the distribution segment and demonstrate their ability to provide services to all actors in the value chain. This role should also impact on the normalisation of library-publisher relations.

The impact of Google on discovering scholarly information: managing STM publishers’ visibility in Google

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss Google visibility of five large STM publishers (Elsevier, Emerald Publishing, Springer, Taylor & Francis and John Wiley & Sons) with the aim to focus on and investigate various upcoming current issues and challenges of the publishing industry regarding discoverability, promotion strategies, competition, information-seeking behavior and the impact of new information technologies on scholarly information. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on data retrieved through two commercial online tools specialized in retrieving and saving the data of the domain's visibility in search engines: SEMrush (“SEMrush – Online Visibility Management Platform”) and Ahrefs (“Ahrefs – SEO Tools & Resources To Grow Your Search Traffic”). All data gathering took place between April 15 and the May 29, 2019. Findings The study exhibits the significance of Google visibility in the STM publishing industry taking into consideration current issues and challenges of the publishing activity. Originality/value This is a “new” trend, certainly of great significance in the publishing industry. The research is conducted in this paper and the theoretical background will be offered to the study of this issue.

Publishing Trends and Practices in the Scientific Community

Scientific, technical, and medical (STM) publishing has been changing over the past 10 years. In Canada it has multiple business models that differ significantly from those in the humanities and social sciences. STM publishing worldwide is dominated by a few major publishers but is also very dispersed. The introduction of electronic publishing has changed the business model. This paper presents the results of a reader and author survey and discusses the implications of these results for STM publishers and their library clients. Résumé : Nous avons changé la façon de la publication de l’information scientifique, technique et médicale (STM) pendant les dernières dix année. Au Canada, il y a une multiplicité des modèles d’enterprise dans la domaine de l’information STM qui sont différent des modèles d’enterprise aux domaines des sciences humaines et sociales. Les éditeurs STM sont dominé par quels que maison d’éditions commerciales mais l’activité est aussi très dispersé. L’introduction des publications électroniques a changé le modèle d’enterprise. Nous présentons les résultats d’un étude des lectures et auteurs. Nous discutons les implications de ces résultats pour les éditeurs STM et les bibliothécaires.