- Email: [email protected]
Project muse: A partnership of interset
Donnice Cochenour and Tom Moothart, Co-Editors
Electronic Journal Forum
PROJECTMUSE: A PARTNERSHIP OF INTEREST Donnice Cochenour
Cochenour is Serials Librarian and Assistant Professor at Colorado State Universi~, Fort Collins, CO 80523 Acknowled~ent: The editor gratefully acknowledges the assistance and contributions of T&d D. Kelley, Librarian for Information Technology Initiatives, Milton S. Eisenhower Library, John Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.
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FORUM -
In the first “Electronic Journal Forum” column, the purpose of the column was stated as “to promote awareness of the evolution of scholarly publishing on the network, and of Libra-related issues surrounding this development.“’ In keeping with this purpose, in the past, columns have focused on the “electronic journal,” defined as one available onZy in electronic format and distributed over the Internet usually without charge, as opposed to the “online journal” which maintains an electronic existence parallel to a print counterpart and tends to be commercially produced.* The online journal typically is made available through third party database services which meter access according to time online and/or by pay-per-view charges. In this column, a hybrid of these two approaches, Project Muse, will be discussed. The Johns Hopkins University Press (hereafter referred to as the Press), the Miiton S. Eisenhower Library, and Homewood Academic Computing have joined forces to create Project Muse, an initiative to make the Press’s scholarly journals available over the Internet via the World Wide Web. The Press is America’s oldest university press with a publication list of 42 print journals primarily in the humanities and social sciences. I refer to this as a hyb~dization because these journals obviously do exist in print, but the method of offering access to their electronic counterpart is much different from the traditional “online journal.” These electronic journals will remain under the control of the
FALL 1995
75
Press, not a third party. And, due to the growth and development of the Internet and software such as the Web and its accompanying clients (Mosaic, Netscape Navigator, Cello, etc.), instead of metered or pay-per-view charges, access will be through simple subscription. This project will mark a significant evolution in scholarly publishing on the network. Many have challenged university libraries and university presses to join forces to recapture the scholarly output of the university faculty. Richard Dougherty suggested in 1989 that one answer to the serials crisis was this new alliance. He felt that a long-term solution to the continuing escalation of serials prices was to stimulate technological initiatives that would eventually enable universities to regain their rightful position as publishers and distributors of their faculty’s research.3 Others have suggested variations on this theme in the years since.4 Scott Bennett, while director of the Milton S. Eisenhower Library at Johns Hopkins University, chided university presses for not being engaged in the publishing area most critical to the needs of the university community, primarily that of publishing scholarly journals. He concluded that, “The challenge is now plainly before the university press and the research library community to create strong, competitive, not-for-profit means for publishing scholarly information.“5 In 1993, the Association of American University Presses (AAUP) and the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) proposed a Joint Initiative whereby university presses, university libraries and university computer centers join forces to take a commanding lead in the area of electronic publishing.6 Although no financial support was available from the sponsoring organizations, the hope was that through their sponsorship, grants and other funding would be forthcoming. To date, 23 institutions have been selected to participate in this Joint Initiative.7 Project Muse was one of the earliest collaborations to be selected. During the summer of 1993, the Press approached the Milton S. Eisenhower Library about entering into a partnership to make the journals of the Press available to subscribers electronically. The Library agreed to join the initiative and Todd Kelley was chosen as the Library representative. Susan Lewis, of the Press, and Kelley put together a project advisory team from the Library and the Press, and soon added a staff member from Academic Computing. Kelley recently spoke with Serials Review about the goals, challenges, and future plans for Project Muse.
76
SERIALSREVIEW
“The two main challenges of the team included deciding what electronic platform to use and how to get the articles into a file format for the electronic venue that was selected. In the Fall of 1993, the team selected the World Wide Web as the method to make the journals available electronically. Even though the Web wasn’t all that well known in 1993, it was viewed as a potential solution to the library interface problem. Libraries have many electronic interfaces, and the Web browser was viewed as a way to make a great deal of electronic information available with a common easy-to-use interface.” “The team decided that file conversion programs were needed to convert PostScript files (that go to the compositor) to HyperText Markup Language. the lingua-franca of the World Wide Web. Jerry Whelan, who was at Bradley University at the time, was hired to write the conversion programs for three journals. The conversion programs were written in the Per1 scripting language. They were the first known examples of file conversion from PostScript to HTML and the Per1 scripts were made freely available to all who wanted them via the Internet.“*
COLLABORATION Kelley was asked to comment on the contributions each of the organizations is making to this project and how these new relationships are changing the work within the organizations. “Each of the three partners has expertise that is unique and certainly the Project is much stronger for using the collaborative method. For example, the librarian knows what a good user interface should look like. We have been dealing with them for well over a decade. We also understand issues of intellectual access. We know that full-text searching by itself can be less than helpful. So, we designed a system where full-text searching and subject access work together in a complimentary fashion. On the other hand, librarians have very little or no experience with cost recovery issues. The Press has a great deal of experience in this area. The Computing Center has expertise in networking, hardware, and software. All told, the scholarly communication infrastructure is much stronger when these organizations work together. This is not necessarily easy because each of these organizations has a different culture. Time will tell whether or not these relationships will be able to really take root and grow.” “Workflows have changed, but more changes will be needed. We are just seeing the very beginning. In the
- DONNICE COCHENOLJR-
Press, new staff have been hired to manage file conversion and computer hardware. At the Library, cataloging staff have to become familiar with the project and how it works, They perform the very practical tasks of document tagging the information contained in the tables of contents and supplying the Library of Congress subject headings for each article. They have adapted very well. I maintain an office in the Press and in the Library so my workflow has de~nitely changed.” “I believe that because of Project Muse, our librarians now view themselves as potentially having a more direct involvement in the scholarly co~unication process -right from the beginning. They have agreed to be “publisher’s agents”-actively seeking and developing electronic scholarly publishing projects. They now understand that they actually have a great deal to offer in the formulation, design, and execution of these products.” “The library is a stakeholder in the direction that scholarly communication will take as digital information both compliments, exists simul~neously, and supplants printed information sources. Our interest is in maintaining quality support for research and teaching. In this transitional period, the library must influence other stakeholders by partnering and collaborating with them. The working relationship between the Library and the Press is new and not firmly established, but it is a start. There has been a great deal of benefit to both organizations through the learning that has taken place. This process can continue.” PROTOTYPE
Four issues from three different titles were chosen to create a Project prototype: one issue each of coded Language Notes (A&W) and English Language History (ELH) and two issues of Con$gurations. In early 1994, the Project Muse site on World Wide Web made these issues freely available on the network.’ Through the collaboration’ of the Press, the Library and Academic Computing several unique features were developed for the prototypes: l
l
l
Article level subject headings assigned by Library catalogers using Library of Congress subject headings. Browsable tables of contents by journal title (including LC subject headings). Subject, author, and title keyword searching across all tables of contents
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Full-text searching across all articles using WAIS indexing. Conventional page numbering to facilitate citation Built-in hypertext links to footnotes and endnotes Color and high resofution images Indices of illustrations for all articles with two or more illus~ations Option to send e-mail to project developers and editors The goal of the Project is to add value (beyond the print journals) at a lower cost to libraries. The Project offers both improved physical and intellectual access. Physical access is improved in at least three ways. In addition to the traditional and/or electronic access to the journals within the library, users will be able to access files from their own workstations, multiple users will be able to access the same article simultaneously, and the articles will always be “on the shelf.” Intellectual access is improved in a variety of ways: by the addition of searchable Library of Congress subject headings, by providing full-text searching across the entire collection of articles, and by the ability to provide enhanced images in the online version. It became obvious when the journals were being processed for mounting on the Web server that the expense of printing illustrations in full color was not a factor in the online environment. The original color images were scanned and the black and white illustrations of the print version were replaced by full color images in the electronic version. lo According to Kelley, “During the year that the prototype has been available, the Project has moved forward by gathering data from and reactions to the prototype. This time was also spent gathering support and funding for the Project and drawing up a production and financial plan. One of the most significant events came when the University put its full support behind Project Muse. This meant a great deal in terms of attracting support from potential funding agencies. Currently we have received some support from a major foundation and we hope to receive support from NEH. We anticipate the need for support during the first three years, but believe that the Project will be self-sustaining starting in year four. The Press, the Library and Academic Computing are all con~buting staff time. The Library and the Press have identified four areas that we perceive as key to the success of the larger process. These include marketing, rights and permissions, true costs and product pricing.”
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77
MARKETING Initially, subsc~ptions to the electronic versions will only be available to libraries. The Project staff feels that for the Project to be successful it is important to develop a working relationship with subscribing libraries. Kelley stated, “We believe that Project Muse and similar approaches elsewhere can spark a heightened interest in scholarship and learning. Our approach is characterized by engaging subscriber libraries in a ‘partnership of interest’ that enables us to deliver scholarly publications in a way that integrates library involvement and feedback so we can tailor the form and delivery of our publications to best serve the actual needs of scholars and readers.” This topic was also discussed by Lewis at the 1994 NASIG Conference where she stated, “By making education and technical assistance the focus of our marketing efforts, we can actually create a product and a market based on input from those who will use it. This approach is not just beneficial to the partners, it is essential since libraries must create or have in place an electronic environment that benefits their readers before they can take f&l advantage of electronically delivered journals.“l’ According to Lewis, this marketing approach is much different from the traditional sales and advertising campaigns. The relationship between the Project and subscribing libraries is one of partnership, not supplier and customer, and the Project will be working directly with libraries. By assessing libraries’ needs and their readiness to implement electronic technologies, Project staff can provide needed consultation and information, while libraries can inform the Project of users’ needs and reactions to the products.‘2 The prototype also provides the opportunity for users to send comments directly to the editor and the Press via e-mail.
The decision was made to provide the electronic journals to libraries using the flat-rate subscription model instead of the site-license model or pay-per-view model. Access will not be restricted to a limited number of simultaneous users and downloading and printing will be considered acceptable use. in addition to the access libraries provide within the library building, faculty will have access from their offices and students will have access from labs and dorms if they have the necessary Web client software. A subscription to an institution will allow access to the entire “domain
78 SERIALSREVIEW
name” of the subscribing institution. As Kelley explained, “A Web server can block access or allow access from computers by domain name. For example, 1 can set the server to block access to all computers except those from .ColoState.edu. This means you have subscribed and all users from .ColoState.edu will automatically be allowed access. All others will get the message “403” (computer jargon for ‘not allowed to access this server’).” Libraries may download and archive files to a local server so long as access is not granted to off-site users. Within the current copyright guidelines, libraries may also fill interlibrary loan requests for articles either by electronic transmission (so long as the receiving library does not retain and store the file), or by faxing or mailing a print copy. If the library decides to cancel its subscription, files locally archived prior to cancellation may be retained and accessed by the local user population.
COSTSANDPRICING The true costs of electronic publishing have been t!; subject of on-going debate on the Internet listservs. The polarity of opinions depends on whether one is approaching the topic as the publisher of a new electronic-only journal or as one migrating an existing print publication into the electronic environment.14 The essential cost savings when shifting from a print journal to an electronic journal are the paper, printing, binding, postage, and handling costs. However, there are also losses in income when moving to an electronic journal in the form of no back issue income, advertising income, subsidiary rights income or mailing-list rental income. Thus, while the costs associated with an electronic journal are less than a print journal, so is the expected income.15 At Project Muse, in an effort to determine a fair cost for the electronic journal, cost analyses have been done to determine those &sts incurred independent of the final format. referred to as “medium independent” costs, and those costs associated with the particular method of distribution. The medium independent costs were determined to be approximately 60 percent of the overall pr~uction costs. This includes the costs of editorial management, peer review, editing, and marketing. The remaining costs vary according to the medium. Project Muse has estimated that the “medium dependent” costs of producing the electronic version (converting the files, creating the tables of contents and subject headings, creating and updating the indices,
- DONNICE COCHENOUR -
etc.) will be 25 percent less than those associated with the production costs of the print version. Thus, if a subscription to the print journal costs $100 ($60 of which is medium independent and $40 attributed to the print medium), the electronic version will cost $90 (also $60 medium independent and $30 attributed to the electronic medium). Using this example, if a library wished to subscribe only to the electronic version their subscription price of $90 would be 10 percent less than the print version; if they wished to receive both the paper and electronic versions, they would pay $130 (the price of the print version plus the medium dependent costs of the electronic version). Regarding future pricing for the journals, Kelley stated, “I believe quite strongly that first copy costs for electronic journals will decrease over time as the electronic infrastructure (network, software, hardware) is used to create the journals. The system that we use now is still very archaic compared to what can be done to create new efficiencies in the near future. When we are able to accomplish this, we will see the 60 percent costs decrease as well!” Table 1 lists the pricing structure for the titles under each option: print only, online only, or a combined subscription. Selected titles may be combined or the entire list may be acquired for a substantial discount. There are also special discounts for consortium subscriptions. The order of the list indicates the schedule for bringing each title online. Titles listed for the first year indicate the exact order in which each new journal will be added to the Web server. Titles for the second and third years indicate the group of titles for that year, with exact order yet to be determined. The first title is expected to be available in June, 1995 and a new title will be added each month for the following 40 months. Each title will begin with the current issue at the time it comes online. Whether back issues will be added for a particular title at a later date will depend on funding and subscriber demand. Once the actual issues are available online for subscribers, the prototype will become a permanent server for a few “sample issues.” According to Kelley, “It will remain freely available so that librarians and scholars who do not subscribe may try it out. As new features are added to the subscriber database, the new features will also be added to this freely accessible server. No new issues will be added to the “sample” server however.”
FUTUREPLANS As the Project develops, the staff are already thinking of enhancements for the future. Improved searching
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capabilities are being considered which will allow users to select a subset of journal titles for searching, whether tables of contents or full-text, as an alternative to searching across all journals. As authors, editors and the Press become more accustomed to the capabilities of electronic publishing, appropriate sound and video files may be included in future electronic versions. Hypertext links from citations to other articles in the database will be added as the size of the Muse database expands. Also, links between an article and letters received from readers and responses from the author are likely. Whether hypertext links will be created for documents outside the Muse database is less certain. According to Kelley, the Press is also actively seeking new journals. “One of our goals is to add new journals, both print and electronic. All new journal titles must pass through a rigorous vetting press. Any journal that passes this process will be added, whether print or electronic only. We already have several possibilities.”
CONCLUSIONS In closing, I asked Kelley what had most surprised him during the first year. ‘The biggest surprise has been the rapid acceptance and use of the World Wide Web and the approval of scholars and librarians for Project Muse. We believed that it would take years to reach the point that we are at today only one year after the release of the prototype.” Electronic journals show promise for decreasing the time between article submission and publication, improving access and distribution, and enhancing communications through the variety of media available with electronic technologies. There is an ever increasing aggregate of electronic journal resources available over the Internet. However, most of these do not share the reputation of the traditional print journals partly because the “publisher” has not had the time to develop the stability and reliability gained through years of continued production of a quality product. Many of these journals do not have the acceptance gained from inclusion in the secondary abstracting and indexing services, and the lack of electronic standards raises difficult questions for libraries about long-term access and preservation. Project Muse, because of the existing reputation of the journals involved, will circumvent several of these problems. The publications are already indexed in the standard reference sources. The titles already have a “legitimate” stamp of approval created through their history with the Press and thus do not suffer from the
FALL~!B~ 79
lack of submissions many of the fledgling e-journals are experiencing. Since the Press will be maintaining the print versions into the foreseeable future, the issues of long-term preservation will not be a factor. For libraries which are not ready to furnish only electronic access, the Press has provided an opportunity to test the “electronic” waters at a very small cost. Those who are ready to take the plunge can realize a 10 percent savings on their subscriptions.
NOTES 1. Linda Langschied. “Electronic Journal Forum: Column 1.” Serials Review 18. no. l/2 (1992): 133.
2.
Langschied, 13 1.
3. Richard M. Dougherty. “To Meet the Crisis in Journal Costs, Universities Must Reassert Their Role in Scholarly Publishing.” Chronicle of Higher Education 35 (April 12, 1989): A52
7. Press release, ‘University Presses in the Networked Information Environment,” April 3, 1995. 8. The Per1 scripts are available chaos.press.jhu.edu/people/whelan/> 9. Access the Project muse.jhu.edu>
at
cURL:http://
Muse home page at cURL:http://
10. For an example of this see Figure 3 in Jerome Baschet. “Medieval Abraham: Between Fleshly Patriarch and Divine Father.” Modem Language Notes 108. no. 4 (1993). cURL:http://muse.jhu.edu/joumals/mln//v1O8/ 108.4baschet.html> I 1. Susan Lewis. *‘From Earth to Ether: One Publisher’s Reincarnation.” Serials Librarian 25, no. 3f4 f 1995): 174 12.
Lewis, 174-175.
13. The listserv devoted to the topic of electronic publishing is VPIEJ-L. For a description and subscriber information, see Linda Langschied. “Electronic Journal Forum: VPIEJ-L: An Online Discussion Group for Electronic Journal Publishing Concerns.” Serials Review 20, no. 1 (1994): 89-94, 80.
4. Ann Okerson. “With Feathers: Effects of Copyright and Ownership on Scholarly Publishing.” College and Research Libraries 52, no. 5 (September 199i ): 425-438.
14. For a variety of opinions on this topic, see Ellen Finnie Duranceau. “The Balance Point: The Economics of Electronic Publishing.” Serials Review 2 1, no. 1 (1995): 77-90.
5. Scott Bennett. “Repositioning University Presses in Scholarly Communication.” Journal of Scholarly Publishing 24, no.4 (July, 1994): 245
15. Janet H. Fisher. “The True Costs of an Electronic Journal.” in Ellen Finnie Duranceau. “The Balance Point: The Economics of Electronic Publishing.” Serials Review 2 1. no. 1 (1995): 89.
6. David L. Wilson. “Project Seeks to Expand Use of Electronic Networks for Publishing.” Chronicle of Higher Education 40 (January 26, 1994): A24-25.
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- DONNICE COCHENOUR -
Table 1:
Price List and Order of Availability for Electronic Products Print Only
Online Only
Combined Print & Online
*FIRST YEAR* Configurations
$53.00
$47.70
$68.90
English Literary History
$73.00
$65.70
$94.90
$82.00
$73.80
$106.60
$66.00
$59.40
$85.80
Modem Language
Notes
Reviews in American American
History
Quarterly
Modernism/
Modernity
$62.00
$55.80
$80.60
$52.00
$46.80
$67.60
Lion and the Unicorn
$38.00
$34.20
$49.40
Callaloo
$54.00
$48.60
$70.20
Diacritics
$59.00
$53.10
$76.60
New Literary History
$79.00
$71.10
$102.70
The Yale Journal of Criticism
$57.00
$51.30
$74.10
Literature and Medicine
$38.00
$34.20
$49.40
Modem Fiction Studies
$45X)0
$40.50
$58.50
$43.00
$38.70
$55.90
$175.00
$157.50
$227.50
$32.50
$29.25
$42.25
Henry James Review American
Journal of Mathematics
*Second Year* Arethusa American
Imago
$65.00
$58.50
$84.50
American
Journal of Philology
$72.50
$65.25
$94.25
Griffithania
$52.00
$46.80
$67.60
Journal of the History of Ideas
$45.00
$40.50
$58.50
$73.00
$65.70
$94.90
$42.00
$37.80
$54.60
and Literature
$43.00
$38.70
$55.90
Psychiatry,
$85.00
$76.50
$110.50
Theatre Journal
$55.00
$49.50
$71.50
Theatre Topics
$27.00
$24.30
$35.10
Wide Angle
$58.00
$52.20
$75.40
$60.00
$54.00
$78.00
Kennedy
Institute of Ethics Journal
Performing
Arts Journal
Philosophy Philosophy,
& Psychology
*Third Year* American
Jewish History
Bulletin of the History of Medicine
$61.50
$55.35
$79.95
Eighteenth-Century
Life
$39.00
$35.10
$50.70
Eighteenth-Century
Studies
Human Rights Quarterly
$59.00
$53.10
$76.70
$76.50
$68.85
$99.45
$55.00
$49.50
$71.50
Studies
$56.00
$50.40
$72.80
Journal of Modem Greek Studies
$47.50
$42.75
$61.75
Late Imperial China
$36.00
$32.40
$46.80
Journal of Democracy Journal of Early Christian
Modem Judaism
$57.00
$51.30
$74.10
Philosophy
$60.00
$54.00
$78.00
Prooftexts
$5 1.50
$46.35
$66.95
World Politics
$51.00
$45.90
$66.30
& Public Affairs
-ELECTRONICJOURNALFORUM-
FALLWS
81
Electronic Journal Forum
PROJECTMUSE: A PARTNERSHIP OF INTEREST Donnice Cochenour
Cochenour is Serials Librarian and Assistant Professor at Colorado State Universi~, Fort Collins, CO 80523 Acknowled~ent: The editor gratefully acknowledges the assistance and contributions of T&d D. Kelley, Librarian for Information Technology Initiatives, Milton S. Eisenhower Library, John Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.
- ELECTRONIC JOURNAL
FORUM -
In the first “Electronic Journal Forum” column, the purpose of the column was stated as “to promote awareness of the evolution of scholarly publishing on the network, and of Libra-related issues surrounding this development.“’ In keeping with this purpose, in the past, columns have focused on the “electronic journal,” defined as one available onZy in electronic format and distributed over the Internet usually without charge, as opposed to the “online journal” which maintains an electronic existence parallel to a print counterpart and tends to be commercially produced.* The online journal typically is made available through third party database services which meter access according to time online and/or by pay-per-view charges. In this column, a hybrid of these two approaches, Project Muse, will be discussed. The Johns Hopkins University Press (hereafter referred to as the Press), the Miiton S. Eisenhower Library, and Homewood Academic Computing have joined forces to create Project Muse, an initiative to make the Press’s scholarly journals available over the Internet via the World Wide Web. The Press is America’s oldest university press with a publication list of 42 print journals primarily in the humanities and social sciences. I refer to this as a hyb~dization because these journals obviously do exist in print, but the method of offering access to their electronic counterpart is much different from the traditional “online journal.” These electronic journals will remain under the control of the
FALL 1995
75
Press, not a third party. And, due to the growth and development of the Internet and software such as the Web and its accompanying clients (Mosaic, Netscape Navigator, Cello, etc.), instead of metered or pay-per-view charges, access will be through simple subscription. This project will mark a significant evolution in scholarly publishing on the network. Many have challenged university libraries and university presses to join forces to recapture the scholarly output of the university faculty. Richard Dougherty suggested in 1989 that one answer to the serials crisis was this new alliance. He felt that a long-term solution to the continuing escalation of serials prices was to stimulate technological initiatives that would eventually enable universities to regain their rightful position as publishers and distributors of their faculty’s research.3 Others have suggested variations on this theme in the years since.4 Scott Bennett, while director of the Milton S. Eisenhower Library at Johns Hopkins University, chided university presses for not being engaged in the publishing area most critical to the needs of the university community, primarily that of publishing scholarly journals. He concluded that, “The challenge is now plainly before the university press and the research library community to create strong, competitive, not-for-profit means for publishing scholarly information.“5 In 1993, the Association of American University Presses (AAUP) and the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) proposed a Joint Initiative whereby university presses, university libraries and university computer centers join forces to take a commanding lead in the area of electronic publishing.6 Although no financial support was available from the sponsoring organizations, the hope was that through their sponsorship, grants and other funding would be forthcoming. To date, 23 institutions have been selected to participate in this Joint Initiative.7 Project Muse was one of the earliest collaborations to be selected. During the summer of 1993, the Press approached the Milton S. Eisenhower Library about entering into a partnership to make the journals of the Press available to subscribers electronically. The Library agreed to join the initiative and Todd Kelley was chosen as the Library representative. Susan Lewis, of the Press, and Kelley put together a project advisory team from the Library and the Press, and soon added a staff member from Academic Computing. Kelley recently spoke with Serials Review about the goals, challenges, and future plans for Project Muse.
76
SERIALSREVIEW
“The two main challenges of the team included deciding what electronic platform to use and how to get the articles into a file format for the electronic venue that was selected. In the Fall of 1993, the team selected the World Wide Web as the method to make the journals available electronically. Even though the Web wasn’t all that well known in 1993, it was viewed as a potential solution to the library interface problem. Libraries have many electronic interfaces, and the Web browser was viewed as a way to make a great deal of electronic information available with a common easy-to-use interface.” “The team decided that file conversion programs were needed to convert PostScript files (that go to the compositor) to HyperText Markup Language. the lingua-franca of the World Wide Web. Jerry Whelan, who was at Bradley University at the time, was hired to write the conversion programs for three journals. The conversion programs were written in the Per1 scripting language. They were the first known examples of file conversion from PostScript to HTML and the Per1 scripts were made freely available to all who wanted them via the Internet.“*
COLLABORATION Kelley was asked to comment on the contributions each of the organizations is making to this project and how these new relationships are changing the work within the organizations. “Each of the three partners has expertise that is unique and certainly the Project is much stronger for using the collaborative method. For example, the librarian knows what a good user interface should look like. We have been dealing with them for well over a decade. We also understand issues of intellectual access. We know that full-text searching by itself can be less than helpful. So, we designed a system where full-text searching and subject access work together in a complimentary fashion. On the other hand, librarians have very little or no experience with cost recovery issues. The Press has a great deal of experience in this area. The Computing Center has expertise in networking, hardware, and software. All told, the scholarly communication infrastructure is much stronger when these organizations work together. This is not necessarily easy because each of these organizations has a different culture. Time will tell whether or not these relationships will be able to really take root and grow.” “Workflows have changed, but more changes will be needed. We are just seeing the very beginning. In the
- DONNICE COCHENOLJR-
Press, new staff have been hired to manage file conversion and computer hardware. At the Library, cataloging staff have to become familiar with the project and how it works, They perform the very practical tasks of document tagging the information contained in the tables of contents and supplying the Library of Congress subject headings for each article. They have adapted very well. I maintain an office in the Press and in the Library so my workflow has de~nitely changed.” “I believe that because of Project Muse, our librarians now view themselves as potentially having a more direct involvement in the scholarly co~unication process -right from the beginning. They have agreed to be “publisher’s agents”-actively seeking and developing electronic scholarly publishing projects. They now understand that they actually have a great deal to offer in the formulation, design, and execution of these products.” “The library is a stakeholder in the direction that scholarly communication will take as digital information both compliments, exists simul~neously, and supplants printed information sources. Our interest is in maintaining quality support for research and teaching. In this transitional period, the library must influence other stakeholders by partnering and collaborating with them. The working relationship between the Library and the Press is new and not firmly established, but it is a start. There has been a great deal of benefit to both organizations through the learning that has taken place. This process can continue.” PROTOTYPE
Four issues from three different titles were chosen to create a Project prototype: one issue each of coded Language Notes (A&W) and English Language History (ELH) and two issues of Con$gurations. In early 1994, the Project Muse site on World Wide Web made these issues freely available on the network.’ Through the collaboration’ of the Press, the Library and Academic Computing several unique features were developed for the prototypes: l
l
l
Article level subject headings assigned by Library catalogers using Library of Congress subject headings. Browsable tables of contents by journal title (including LC subject headings). Subject, author, and title keyword searching across all tables of contents
- ELECTRONICJOUFWALFORUM-
Full-text searching across all articles using WAIS indexing. Conventional page numbering to facilitate citation Built-in hypertext links to footnotes and endnotes Color and high resofution images Indices of illustrations for all articles with two or more illus~ations Option to send e-mail to project developers and editors The goal of the Project is to add value (beyond the print journals) at a lower cost to libraries. The Project offers both improved physical and intellectual access. Physical access is improved in at least three ways. In addition to the traditional and/or electronic access to the journals within the library, users will be able to access files from their own workstations, multiple users will be able to access the same article simultaneously, and the articles will always be “on the shelf.” Intellectual access is improved in a variety of ways: by the addition of searchable Library of Congress subject headings, by providing full-text searching across the entire collection of articles, and by the ability to provide enhanced images in the online version. It became obvious when the journals were being processed for mounting on the Web server that the expense of printing illustrations in full color was not a factor in the online environment. The original color images were scanned and the black and white illustrations of the print version were replaced by full color images in the electronic version. lo According to Kelley, “During the year that the prototype has been available, the Project has moved forward by gathering data from and reactions to the prototype. This time was also spent gathering support and funding for the Project and drawing up a production and financial plan. One of the most significant events came when the University put its full support behind Project Muse. This meant a great deal in terms of attracting support from potential funding agencies. Currently we have received some support from a major foundation and we hope to receive support from NEH. We anticipate the need for support during the first three years, but believe that the Project will be self-sustaining starting in year four. The Press, the Library and Academic Computing are all con~buting staff time. The Library and the Press have identified four areas that we perceive as key to the success of the larger process. These include marketing, rights and permissions, true costs and product pricing.”
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MARKETING Initially, subsc~ptions to the electronic versions will only be available to libraries. The Project staff feels that for the Project to be successful it is important to develop a working relationship with subscribing libraries. Kelley stated, “We believe that Project Muse and similar approaches elsewhere can spark a heightened interest in scholarship and learning. Our approach is characterized by engaging subscriber libraries in a ‘partnership of interest’ that enables us to deliver scholarly publications in a way that integrates library involvement and feedback so we can tailor the form and delivery of our publications to best serve the actual needs of scholars and readers.” This topic was also discussed by Lewis at the 1994 NASIG Conference where she stated, “By making education and technical assistance the focus of our marketing efforts, we can actually create a product and a market based on input from those who will use it. This approach is not just beneficial to the partners, it is essential since libraries must create or have in place an electronic environment that benefits their readers before they can take f&l advantage of electronically delivered journals.“l’ According to Lewis, this marketing approach is much different from the traditional sales and advertising campaigns. The relationship between the Project and subscribing libraries is one of partnership, not supplier and customer, and the Project will be working directly with libraries. By assessing libraries’ needs and their readiness to implement electronic technologies, Project staff can provide needed consultation and information, while libraries can inform the Project of users’ needs and reactions to the products.‘2 The prototype also provides the opportunity for users to send comments directly to the editor and the Press via e-mail.
The decision was made to provide the electronic journals to libraries using the flat-rate subscription model instead of the site-license model or pay-per-view model. Access will not be restricted to a limited number of simultaneous users and downloading and printing will be considered acceptable use. in addition to the access libraries provide within the library building, faculty will have access from their offices and students will have access from labs and dorms if they have the necessary Web client software. A subscription to an institution will allow access to the entire “domain
78 SERIALSREVIEW
name” of the subscribing institution. As Kelley explained, “A Web server can block access or allow access from computers by domain name. For example, 1 can set the server to block access to all computers except those from .ColoState.edu. This means you have subscribed and all users from .ColoState.edu will automatically be allowed access. All others will get the message “403” (computer jargon for ‘not allowed to access this server’).” Libraries may download and archive files to a local server so long as access is not granted to off-site users. Within the current copyright guidelines, libraries may also fill interlibrary loan requests for articles either by electronic transmission (so long as the receiving library does not retain and store the file), or by faxing or mailing a print copy. If the library decides to cancel its subscription, files locally archived prior to cancellation may be retained and accessed by the local user population.
COSTSANDPRICING The true costs of electronic publishing have been t!; subject of on-going debate on the Internet listservs. The polarity of opinions depends on whether one is approaching the topic as the publisher of a new electronic-only journal or as one migrating an existing print publication into the electronic environment.14 The essential cost savings when shifting from a print journal to an electronic journal are the paper, printing, binding, postage, and handling costs. However, there are also losses in income when moving to an electronic journal in the form of no back issue income, advertising income, subsidiary rights income or mailing-list rental income. Thus, while the costs associated with an electronic journal are less than a print journal, so is the expected income.15 At Project Muse, in an effort to determine a fair cost for the electronic journal, cost analyses have been done to determine those &sts incurred independent of the final format. referred to as “medium independent” costs, and those costs associated with the particular method of distribution. The medium independent costs were determined to be approximately 60 percent of the overall pr~uction costs. This includes the costs of editorial management, peer review, editing, and marketing. The remaining costs vary according to the medium. Project Muse has estimated that the “medium dependent” costs of producing the electronic version (converting the files, creating the tables of contents and subject headings, creating and updating the indices,
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etc.) will be 25 percent less than those associated with the production costs of the print version. Thus, if a subscription to the print journal costs $100 ($60 of which is medium independent and $40 attributed to the print medium), the electronic version will cost $90 (also $60 medium independent and $30 attributed to the electronic medium). Using this example, if a library wished to subscribe only to the electronic version their subscription price of $90 would be 10 percent less than the print version; if they wished to receive both the paper and electronic versions, they would pay $130 (the price of the print version plus the medium dependent costs of the electronic version). Regarding future pricing for the journals, Kelley stated, “I believe quite strongly that first copy costs for electronic journals will decrease over time as the electronic infrastructure (network, software, hardware) is used to create the journals. The system that we use now is still very archaic compared to what can be done to create new efficiencies in the near future. When we are able to accomplish this, we will see the 60 percent costs decrease as well!” Table 1 lists the pricing structure for the titles under each option: print only, online only, or a combined subscription. Selected titles may be combined or the entire list may be acquired for a substantial discount. There are also special discounts for consortium subscriptions. The order of the list indicates the schedule for bringing each title online. Titles listed for the first year indicate the exact order in which each new journal will be added to the Web server. Titles for the second and third years indicate the group of titles for that year, with exact order yet to be determined. The first title is expected to be available in June, 1995 and a new title will be added each month for the following 40 months. Each title will begin with the current issue at the time it comes online. Whether back issues will be added for a particular title at a later date will depend on funding and subscriber demand. Once the actual issues are available online for subscribers, the prototype will become a permanent server for a few “sample issues.” According to Kelley, “It will remain freely available so that librarians and scholars who do not subscribe may try it out. As new features are added to the subscriber database, the new features will also be added to this freely accessible server. No new issues will be added to the “sample” server however.”
FUTUREPLANS As the Project develops, the staff are already thinking of enhancements for the future. Improved searching
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capabilities are being considered which will allow users to select a subset of journal titles for searching, whether tables of contents or full-text, as an alternative to searching across all journals. As authors, editors and the Press become more accustomed to the capabilities of electronic publishing, appropriate sound and video files may be included in future electronic versions. Hypertext links from citations to other articles in the database will be added as the size of the Muse database expands. Also, links between an article and letters received from readers and responses from the author are likely. Whether hypertext links will be created for documents outside the Muse database is less certain. According to Kelley, the Press is also actively seeking new journals. “One of our goals is to add new journals, both print and electronic. All new journal titles must pass through a rigorous vetting press. Any journal that passes this process will be added, whether print or electronic only. We already have several possibilities.”
CONCLUSIONS In closing, I asked Kelley what had most surprised him during the first year. ‘The biggest surprise has been the rapid acceptance and use of the World Wide Web and the approval of scholars and librarians for Project Muse. We believed that it would take years to reach the point that we are at today only one year after the release of the prototype.” Electronic journals show promise for decreasing the time between article submission and publication, improving access and distribution, and enhancing communications through the variety of media available with electronic technologies. There is an ever increasing aggregate of electronic journal resources available over the Internet. However, most of these do not share the reputation of the traditional print journals partly because the “publisher” has not had the time to develop the stability and reliability gained through years of continued production of a quality product. Many of these journals do not have the acceptance gained from inclusion in the secondary abstracting and indexing services, and the lack of electronic standards raises difficult questions for libraries about long-term access and preservation. Project Muse, because of the existing reputation of the journals involved, will circumvent several of these problems. The publications are already indexed in the standard reference sources. The titles already have a “legitimate” stamp of approval created through their history with the Press and thus do not suffer from the
FALL~!B~ 79
lack of submissions many of the fledgling e-journals are experiencing. Since the Press will be maintaining the print versions into the foreseeable future, the issues of long-term preservation will not be a factor. For libraries which are not ready to furnish only electronic access, the Press has provided an opportunity to test the “electronic” waters at a very small cost. Those who are ready to take the plunge can realize a 10 percent savings on their subscriptions.
NOTES 1. Linda Langschied. “Electronic Journal Forum: Column 1.” Serials Review 18. no. l/2 (1992): 133.
2.
Langschied, 13 1.
3. Richard M. Dougherty. “To Meet the Crisis in Journal Costs, Universities Must Reassert Their Role in Scholarly Publishing.” Chronicle of Higher Education 35 (April 12, 1989): A52
7. Press release, ‘University Presses in the Networked Information Environment,” April 3, 1995. 8. The Per1 scripts are available chaos.press.jhu.edu/people/whelan/> 9. Access the Project muse.jhu.edu>
at
cURL:http://
Muse home page at cURL:http://
10. For an example of this see Figure 3 in Jerome Baschet. “Medieval Abraham: Between Fleshly Patriarch and Divine Father.” Modem Language Notes 108. no. 4 (1993). cURL:http://muse.jhu.edu/joumals/mln//v1O8/ 108.4baschet.html> I 1. Susan Lewis. *‘From Earth to Ether: One Publisher’s Reincarnation.” Serials Librarian 25, no. 3f4 f 1995): 174 12.
Lewis, 174-175.
13. The listserv devoted to the topic of electronic publishing is VPIEJ-L. For a description and subscriber information, see Linda Langschied. “Electronic Journal Forum: VPIEJ-L: An Online Discussion Group for Electronic Journal Publishing Concerns.” Serials Review 20, no. 1 (1994): 89-94, 80.
4. Ann Okerson. “With Feathers: Effects of Copyright and Ownership on Scholarly Publishing.” College and Research Libraries 52, no. 5 (September 199i ): 425-438.
14. For a variety of opinions on this topic, see Ellen Finnie Duranceau. “The Balance Point: The Economics of Electronic Publishing.” Serials Review 2 1, no. 1 (1995): 77-90.
5. Scott Bennett. “Repositioning University Presses in Scholarly Communication.” Journal of Scholarly Publishing 24, no.4 (July, 1994): 245
15. Janet H. Fisher. “The True Costs of an Electronic Journal.” in Ellen Finnie Duranceau. “The Balance Point: The Economics of Electronic Publishing.” Serials Review 2 1. no. 1 (1995): 89.
6. David L. Wilson. “Project Seeks to Expand Use of Electronic Networks for Publishing.” Chronicle of Higher Education 40 (January 26, 1994): A24-25.
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SERIALSREVIEW
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Table 1:
Price List and Order of Availability for Electronic Products Print Only
Online Only
Combined Print & Online
*FIRST YEAR* Configurations
$53.00
$47.70
$68.90
English Literary History
$73.00
$65.70
$94.90
$82.00
$73.80
$106.60
$66.00
$59.40
$85.80
Modem Language
Notes
Reviews in American American
History
Quarterly
Modernism/
Modernity
$62.00
$55.80
$80.60
$52.00
$46.80
$67.60
Lion and the Unicorn
$38.00
$34.20
$49.40
Callaloo
$54.00
$48.60
$70.20
Diacritics
$59.00
$53.10
$76.60
New Literary History
$79.00
$71.10
$102.70
The Yale Journal of Criticism
$57.00
$51.30
$74.10
Literature and Medicine
$38.00
$34.20
$49.40
Modem Fiction Studies
$45X)0
$40.50
$58.50
$43.00
$38.70
$55.90
$175.00
$157.50
$227.50
$32.50
$29.25
$42.25
Henry James Review American
Journal of Mathematics
*Second Year* Arethusa American
Imago
$65.00
$58.50
$84.50
American
Journal of Philology
$72.50
$65.25
$94.25
Griffithania
$52.00
$46.80
$67.60
Journal of the History of Ideas
$45.00
$40.50
$58.50
$73.00
$65.70
$94.90
$42.00
$37.80
$54.60
and Literature
$43.00
$38.70
$55.90
Psychiatry,
$85.00
$76.50
$110.50
Theatre Journal
$55.00
$49.50
$71.50
Theatre Topics
$27.00
$24.30
$35.10
Wide Angle
$58.00
$52.20
$75.40
$60.00
$54.00
$78.00
Kennedy
Institute of Ethics Journal
Performing
Arts Journal
Philosophy Philosophy,
& Psychology
*Third Year* American
Jewish History
Bulletin of the History of Medicine
$61.50
$55.35
$79.95
Eighteenth-Century
Life
$39.00
$35.10
$50.70
Eighteenth-Century
Studies
Human Rights Quarterly
$59.00
$53.10
$76.70
$76.50
$68.85
$99.45
$55.00
$49.50
$71.50
Studies
$56.00
$50.40
$72.80
Journal of Modem Greek Studies
$47.50
$42.75
$61.75
Late Imperial China
$36.00
$32.40
$46.80
Journal of Democracy Journal of Early Christian
Modem Judaism
$57.00
$51.30
$74.10
Philosophy
$60.00
$54.00
$78.00
Prooftexts
$5 1.50
$46.35
$66.95
World Politics
$51.00
$45.90
$66.30
& Public Affairs
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FALLWS
81