Y.M.PATIL

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CONSORTIA EFFORTS
AN EXPERIENCE WITH FORSA LIBRARIES

• Y.M.PATIL
• RAMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE
• BANGALORE 560 080.
• WORKSHOP ON
• FORGING COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS CONSORTIUM
  OF LIBRARIES OF DAE INSTITUTIONS,
• JULY 28-30, 2003.
• TIFR, MUMBAI

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• INTRODUCTION
• Due to increase in cost of journals and cut in
  subscription of titles, library professionals
  have initiated several measures in sharing
  information resources by way of co-operative
  acquisitions, inter-library loans and supply of
  photocopies. This was fine as far as print media
  concerned.
• Emergence of information technology has changed
  information-handling activities at all levels,
  viz. Publishers, intermediaries, library
  professionals and users.
• Print editions are converted into e editions.
  Both are available for subscription with
  additional costs for e access. This enhanced
  cost for e journals which is additional burden
  to dwindling library budgets.
• This trend forced librarians to look for ways and
  means to subscribe maximum journals with
  reasonable costs, with better access and there
  emerged consortia concept.

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• FORUM FOR RESOURCE SHARING IN ASTRONOMY
  ASTROPHYSICS (FORSA)
• It was established in 1981 and chalked out plans
  and strategies for library co-operation, resource
  sharing and developed tools necessary, pertaining
  to print media.
• Members of FORSA are IIA, IUCAA, NCRA, PRL,
  RRI, TIFR, SO and CASA-OU.
• Following are the developments among FORSA
  libraries.
• All libraries have automated their collections
• Facilitate e-access to journals
• Actively participate in resource sharing
• Document delivery (e-mail, fax and speed post)
• Database merging of all libraries holdings
• To participate in Virtual Observatory project
  in support / supply of information
• Consortia plan for sharing E journals and
  databases with publishers like Kluwer, Nature
  Publishing, IOP, etc.
• We have gone into two consortia
  formation, viz.
• Indian Astrophysics Consortium- with KLUWER,
• FORSA Consortium for Nature On - Line with
  Nature Publishing.

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• INDIAN ASTROPHYSICS CONSORTIUM
• Participants IIA, IUCAA, RRI, SO, and HCRI.
• This is a consortium with homogeneity of
  subject group - Astronomy and Astrophysics and
  negotiated licensing with the following terms and
  conditions
• Single payment by one of the participant or
  through an agent and license has to be signed by
  all and to maintain same subscription level
• Initial minimum subscription was for four
  journals with 10 e access charges but reduced
  to two journals thereby increasing e access
  charges to 12.
• The condition should be flexible in future to
  include members who do not have any single
  journal, and ready to pay a non-subscription
  penalty.

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• SALIENT FEATURES OF THE CONSORTIUM
• Small group of homogeneous, like minded
  professionals has facilitated better
  communication and understanding between
  publishers and an agent and an agent issuing
  individual invoice single payment, signing
  license by individual library.
• This model facilitated cross e access to all
  print journals subscribed.Members are not
  burdened with marginal interest journals, which
  otherwise is a standard offer of bundled
  journals from publishers.
• Institutional usage statistics is provided
  periodically, viz. Weekly, fortnightly and
  monthly
• It was a win- win situation for both
  publishers and consortium participants in terms
  of the decreased cost of electronic access to e
  journals and increased volume of sales for
  publishers.

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• MINOR PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED
• It was a maiden venture for FORSA. To begin with
  we did not have established guidelines /
  procedures to go into consortium formation.
• We had to go through an intermediary for single
  payment. At a final stage, one more member was
  added with titles outside the purview of defined
  subject area, thus diluting initial objective of
  consortium formation. We must put down every
  terms and conditions in writing so as to avoid
  any unpleasant thing coming at a later date.
• The consortium members should be more organised
  and formal to choose the members. All
  participants should be informed regarding any
  decisions taken This could be a signal to future
  consortia negotiations.
• Currently, the publishers do not support an
  aggregate journal report for the consortium and
  this functionality will be provided at a later
  date.

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• NATURE ONLINE SUBSCRIPTION
• Participants IIA, IUCAA, NCRA, PRL, RRI and
  JNCASR.
• This is a consortium of homogeneous group
  negotiated licensing for on-line access.
• This is a model for single title which is most
  significant e journal for all participants.
• All libraries have subscribed this journal by
  AIRMAIL but deferred on line access due to
  exorbitant cost-(BP 1200.00). All members agreed
  to have on line access under consortium
  subscription at reduced cost.

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• On preliminary enquiry, publishers offered two
  pricing models as follows
• OPTION 1
• Users between 1 TO 999 with six sites
• The basic price is BP 1350.00 and BP 250.00
  per additional site.
• Basic price 1350.00
• Additional 1250.00.
• 250 x 5 2600.00.
• Cost per site is 2600 / 6 433.33 or say BP.
  434.00.
• OPTION 2
• Between 1000 and 2000 users and six sites
• Basic price 2750.00
• Additional 1250.00
• 250 x 5 3950.00

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• THE FOLLOWING WERE PARTICIPANTS RESPONSES BASED
  ON PRICE OPTIONS
• Initially we were not sure about how many
  libraries likely to join the consortium.
• Is there any concession for PRINT On Line
  subscription?
• Consortium cost BP 434.00 is too high compared to
  many other publishers and it is almost equal to
  print cost. Hence, basic price and additional
  site charges be reduced keeping in view small
  user group
• There should be one more option of pricing with
  users less than 500. The option for 500 is
  workable with FORSA Group with less charge
  compared to Option 1.
• We may have to add some more members under the
  consortium in order to reduce the cost keeping in
  view the options given.

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• BASED ON DISCUSSION, FOLLOWING POINTS EMERGED
• There is no change in cost, as pricing model is
  universal and OPTION 1 is applicable to FORSA
  consortium.
• Print and on line subscriptions are separate
  entities and are not clubbed for consortium
  subscription.
• One invoice, single payment and one of the
  participant has to sign the license agreement
• To overcome the above hassle, it is permissible
  to go through a subscription agent for consortium
  subscription.

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• WITH FURTHER DISCUSSIONS/NEGOTIATIONS, CERTAIN
  POINTS WERE CONSIDERED IN ORDER TO GET CONSORTIUM
  SUCCESSFUL
• All participants will receive invoices and to be
  settled within a reasonable period
• To avail on line access through consortium
  under FORSA, there has to be some legal entity of
  the forum, which is taking multi site licensing.
  Hence some one among the participants has to sign
  the license agreement on behalf of the FORSA
  members which was agreed upon
• When each participant received invoice along with
  license agreement form for signing , then the
  problem of signing by one on behalf of all was
  overcome
• Publishers also agreed for payment through an
  agent but there is no discount or commission
  under consortium
• On line access is based on IP addresses and
  each institute has to provide with IP addresses
  along with number of maximum users per site which
  will facilitate simultaneous access to on line
  Nature
• There is provision to get institutional usage
  statistics on monthly basis
• As per publishers, this is a first Indian
  consortium for On Line NATURE.

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Table 2 The following table gives the cost
factor and savings under FORSA
Consortium
We have paid 36 of non-consortium on-line price
or 79.6 of print (airmail) edition, which is
higher than normal cost of print edition charged
by the commercial publishers. Those who can not
live with Nature, consortia price is still
tolerable.
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• CONCLUSIONS
• Various library consortia models are emerging and
  it is necessary to get exposed to procedures for
  licensing keeping in mind negotiations with the
  publishers across the table.
• E Journals have come to stay ipso facto library
  consortia. Consortia have become a survival kit
  for libraries.
• It may be mentioned here that the consortium with
  the participants who have similar interest /
  discipline / same title can work successfully
  compared to the ones where these factors are not
  the main focus.
• The experience of consortia under FORSA gave us
  further confidence to go ahead in forming some
  more consortia with other publishers.
• One has to be a MILITANT LIBRARIAN to become a
  TRIUMPHANT LIBRARIAN!!

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