Having worked in libraries for 20+ years and seeing the gradual change from print to various kinds of digital media it’s always baffled me that the cost of electricity and maintaining the networks is never factored in even though one of the arguments against print is that it’s expensive to set aside all the storage space.
Of course electronic journals are ridiculously priced already as Cornell continues to remind people with their “sticker shock” exhibits (the latest is from 2014–the earlier ones, ironically, seem to have gone offline).
And to make matters worse some publishers are simply nullifying long-term access agreements, telling libraries, “If you want your access back you have to pay for it again, only more this time around.”
It’s happening with some small publishers but also with large publishers like Sage. They use the excuse that they only keep financial records for seven years. For anything older than that the “perpetual access” that they agreed to with legal contracts simply ceases to exist.
A library may keep financial records, including proof of payment, but in at least one case Sage has said, “Because it’s not our copy it’s not binding.”
Digital media have many arguments in their favor but cost and long-term accessibility are not among them.
