full text databases and copyright

[Barbara Fister <fister@xxxxxxx>]

Joe Esposito said
>It [ILL provisions in database licenses]won't be negotiable for long. 
Interlibrary loans of digital materials (not hardcopy) raise the specter of 
a publisher only being able to sell a single copy of a publication, with 
other copies being disseminated free of charge. <snip>

I don't see the format as being any different than print. We can't copy 
print journals either without paying rights (beyond the 5/5 limit). The 
incentives or lack of incentives would be no different than with print 
publication.

I'm actually more concerned about the economic impact of books being 
available for sharing when copies of articles are limited. It's a lot 
easier not to buy a book than to cancel a journal subscription and 
interlibrary loan of all kinds is getting more efficient for the borrower. 
This is a negative incentive for book publishing.

I'm *not* saying we should ditch the first sale concept - just that it's an 
issue librarians should try to balance as they find ways to cope with 
rising costs. It really saddens me when a university press closes its doors 
because libraries aren't buying their books but assume another library will.

Barbara Fister