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The Aggravation of Aggregation?. Jonathan Eaton London Business School UKSG Conference 2003. Overview. Why e-journals access = “aggravation” ! Power shifts in marketplace Fragmentation in supply-chain “DIY aggregation” for libraries Pressures each stakeholder faces Lessons to learn….
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The Aggravation of Aggregation? Jonathan Eaton London Business School UKSG Conference 2003
Overview • Why e-journals access = “aggravation” ! • Power shifts in marketplace • Fragmentation in supply-chain • “DIY aggregation” for libraries • Pressures each stakeholder faces • Lessons to learn…
Supply-chain problems - I • Aggregators losing / gaining content • “content exclusives” replace former equality of aggregation opportunity • Impact on content supply stability & service continuity • A marketplace defined by “churn” ? • access problems a common experience
Supply-chain problems - II • publishers’ embargoes: current volume / issue availability • print subscriptions model for e-access • explicit & hidden costs increasing • degrees of separation affecting content access • aggregators • gateways • publishers’ own systems
Examples • Publishers & aggregators • Harvard Business Review -> content exclusive with EBSCOhost in 2001 • Sage withdraws from aggregators July 2002 -> Sage FullText Collections (with CSA) • Publishers’ delivery systems • Recent problems with Kluwer Law Intl titles (loss of access / confusion over continued availability)
Impact on Libraries • Forced into additional DIY aggregation • multiple access points & market players (aggregators, gateways, publishers) • Ongoing costs to secure / confirm rights • Need for resolving servers to maximise linking to “appropriate copy” via OpenURL (SFX etc)
Aggregators • Losing key full-text titles from (unique) specialised subject databases • Threatening publishers’ current subscriptions revenues? • Compete for content -- marginalised for current volume / issue access? • Offer better article discovery options • Rich taxonomies aid retrieval
Publishers • Favouring (print) subscription income over aggregator royalties • Creating own web delivery systems • Direct customer e-relationships • Ongoing cost implications • Creating “content silos” ? • Customer relations responsibilities
Lessons from experience • Access rights inherently problematic • Who may access what & via which service? • Impact on service levels • Content terminations / access issues • Communications / information flow problems • Discontinuities between publishers / gateways / customers
Conclusion • Increasing e-journals supply options mask persistent access problems • DIY aggregation for libraries raises costs • Complex interactions in marketplace • Better communications & access permissions records continuity needed