The Japan Association of National University Libraries held their forth
symposium on "Towards the Reform of Scholarly Information Distribution" under
the title of "New contract models of some major publishers after the Big Deal"
at Tetsumon Memorial Hall, University of Tokyo on January 18, 2011. This
forth symposium aimed to know the trend of publishers about new models
for the electronic journal contract, and to discuss on the policy and
future of the contract which national university libraries will be able
to adopt. About 120 library directors and senior administrators participated.
After the opening address by President Furuta Motoo (University Librarian
of University of Tokyo Library), Mr. Ojiro Koichi (Director of Information
Management Division, University of Tokyo Library) reported the activity
of the AdHoc Committee for the Reform of Scholarly Information Distribution
and outlined the new consortium which will be set up in April, 2011 based on
the cooperation between the library associations of the national, public
and private university libraries, and the National Institute of Informatics.
Afterwards, the persons in charge of the three major scientific publishers
(Elsevier, Springer and Wiley) explained their "future concept of the
electronic journal contract model". They emphasized the flexibility
to respond to customers' needs that their planning new model would have,
but added that it would take time for completion.
In the discussion, some participants expressed an anxiety to that
the publishers still held the initiative for the scholarly information
distribution and a doubt about that the new contract model would truly
fulfill customers' needs, and some reported a severe situation of
the university that would reduce the contract from the coming year.
The necessity for the cooperation between all university libraries and
the researchers to continue an effort centering on the activity by
the new consortium that aimed at the construction of the scholarly
information distribution system that would not be led by commercial
publishers was confirmed again through this symposium.