Monopoly Power and Electronic Journals

Abstract

Substantial hope has been placed by many members of the academic community in the expectation that scholarly reporting will migrate to the electronic environment, where authors, librarians, and academic institutions will control distribution. This hope derives from a desire, especially among librarians, for some relief from the problem of inflation in periodical prices which exceed library budget increases. Several economic factors bearing on this issue determine the pricing approach available to publishers. These factors also suggest that existing print journals may migrate to online versions with consequent reinforcement of commercial publishing's ability to extract high prices for scholarly output. Their pricing model combines with the traditional roles of journals to shape the alternatives available to libraries. In response to the problem, librarians may seek to provide access versus ownership, to choose consortial purchasing, to help scholars to restructure, or to take legal action. This article explores the economic factors that shape the market in electronic journals and describes the potential for success of library efforts to cope with this market.

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