The BA argued that “There are no comprehensive guidelines for voluntary-run libraries and we cannot believe they will be sustainable in the long term.” Prominent library campaigner Desmond Clarke also added, “The committee’s decision to inquire into library closures indicate they are very much aware of the level of public concern and anger. While people understand that cuts are necessary, there is a strong feeling that these have been disproportionate and too little has been done to improve operational efficiency and reduce the 151 separately managed authorities.”

To view the complete article at the Bookseller, go to: http://www.thebookseller.com/news/libraries-are-essential-trade-tells-mps.html

“These standards differ from previous versions by articulating expectations for library contributions to institutional effectiveness,” said University of Nevada-Las Vegas Dean of University Libraries Patricia Iannuzzi, who chaired the SLHE task force. “They also differ structurally from the previous version by providing a comprehensive framework using an outcomes-based approach, with evidence collected in ways most appropriate for each institution.”

To access a copy of the approved standards as well as to sign up for a introductory webcast, please go to:

 http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/standardslibraries.cfm

These cover the details of what semantic web technology can do for you as a publisher and why you should care. To discuss it in more detail, you can contact Rebecca Appleby in our Cambridge, MA office (rebecca.appleby@publishingtechnology.com).

PCG will leverage its expertise in the international library market to promote and sell these prestigious collections, published entirely in digital format for the first time.

More information on this announcement to follow.

As Steve Bosch from University of Arizona commented, “It seems that publishers may be listening to librarians who are increasingly vocal about the need to bridge the gap between reduced budgets and increasing subscription prices”

Despite a positive outlook, many libraries still face budget cuts. As the article highlights:

“Nevertheless, as libraries struggle with budget cuts, even these lower projected price increases could mean more cancelled periodicals. As reported in LJ’s Periodicals Price Survey, 34 percent of 450 respondents to EBSCO Information Services’ 2011 Library Collections and Budgeting Trends Survey—mostly academic libraries—reported budget cuts for 2011, and 44 percent expected cuts in the next fiscal year. The migration from print—or print plus online—to online only will continue in 2012, and subscriptions in all formats will be subject to cancellation to fit within budget parameters.”

Please visit The Library Journal website for additional information on this article : http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/academiclibraries/892115-265/ebsco_projects_4_to_6.html.csp

In a recent letter posted on the harvard.edu website, Provost Alan Garber explains the shift in more detail:

“This affinity group model maintains the individuality of the libraries while providing mechanisms for the cross-campus collaboration that the system needs for its strategic development and overall organizational effectiveness. An organizational design can be viewed on the Library Transition website. Although this plan is the product of a broad set of conversations across the libraries and the Schools, flexibility will be an integral part of the plan’s implementation.”

To read more on this announcement please visit the following link: http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k77982&pageid=icb.page459518.

Company to offer full-service digital publishing solutions for Chinese content.

London and Beijing, 31st August 2011 – Publishing Technology plc (LSE: PTO), the largest provider of software and services to the publishing industry, has announced its expansion into the prospering Chinese market by delivering local online hosting platforms and domestic sales representation.

Based in Beijing and managed by digital publishing expert Helen Sun, Publishing Technology China will directly target Chinese publishers, offering a complete publishing solution through ingentaconnect, the largest single platform for research publishers. Ms. Sun will combine her vast industry experience and knowledge of the Chinese market with an existing network of experienced sales representatives located around the country. The innovative technology together with native expertise will increase visibility of Chinese content, create new revenue streams, and facilitate sales to researchers and librarians globally.

The joint venture is the latest extension of Publishing Technology’s operations as demand for digital publishing solutions increases across the globe. Home to over 15,500 electronic publications and over 250 partners, the ingentaconnect interface will be offered in both Mandarin and Cantonese along with a subset of high-profile content to several thousand libraries across the country, creating a new user base for international publishers in addition to encouraging Chinese publishers to move online.

As part of the launch, the company’s Publishers Communication Group (PCG) division will also leverage the established national sales network to roll out its sales and marketing services. Initially, PCG will represent the American Association for Cancer Research in mainland China, as well as BioOne in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

George Lossius, CEO of Publishing Technology, commented: “The Chinese publishing industry is fast-paced and flourishing, currently growing at an astonishing rate of 19% a year. With over 8,000 academic journals and a booming scientific research community, second only to that of the US, China represents a major opportunity for us – and it is also relatively untapped in terms of digital resources for publishers and end users. Helen is a tremendously talented digital publishing expert with a proven track record in the Chinese market. This, coupled with Publishing Technology’s innovation and market-leading product, will make it a winning partnership.”

Helen Sun, CEO of Publishing Technology China said: “It is a great honour to work with such a trusted and established company as Publishing Technology, and even more exciting to become a part of it. The joint venture with Publishing Technology will provide not only world-leading technologies with proven marketing and customer service support to Chinese publishers, but it will also offer a great distribution platform in China to all publishers across the Atlantic. Our partnership combines leading digital technologies with digital content providers that already have a wide network within the publishing industry and library community in China and we look forward to welcoming more publishers to our rapidly increasing client base.”

Publishers always depend on data: may it be the number of copies purchased by a bookstore or wholesellers for book publishers, or the profile of their subscribers to a particular title or collection for journal publishers. But today, we have to know more. In the world of electronic publishing we have to know how much usage our products are getting and how they are being used. This issue was examined in a valuable session at the June 2011 meeting of the Society of Scholarly Publishing (www.sspnet.org).

Library customers have for years now stressed the importance of receiving COUNTER-compliant usage statistics for the electronic materials to which they subscribe. But publishers today must also mine the information they can collect from their electronic platforms in order to market their products most effectively to new potential customers and to retain their current subscribers.

In our renewal campaigns, Publishers Communication Group (PCG) finds that one of the major reasons for cancelling a subscription is lack of usage (http://www.pcgplus.com/pdfs/trends_05_10.pdf). To proactively avoid these situations, publishers can now examine their usage reports to gain a better understanding of some of the questions below. For example:

• What is the average cost per download for different pricing tiers?
• If an institution has registered for an online trial, is it being used?
• What is the average usage of Doctoral-granting institutions versus Masters-granting institutions and Baccalaureate-granting institutions?
• What is the usage of backfile content as compared to frontfiles? Can this be used to promote archive purchases to the institution?

Google Analytics can also be employed to add further context to standard usage information. The day is coming when the standard renewal notice will include not just price and type of subscription, but information harvested from a variety of data gathering tools about how valuable the content has proven to be at the institution.

In addition to being a valuable tool for renewals, usage statistics can help publishers to identify strong prospects for new subscriptions. Monitoring turnaways and where they are coming from should lead publishers to institutions that are likely to have a high interest in their content.

Publishing Technology’s marketing division Publishers Communication Group helps publishers sort through all this data to develop plans for leveraging the tools at their disposals. As a result, well-designed campaigns can help boost usage where it is too low and find valuable new prospects. Contact us at inquire@pcgplus.com for more information.