[comm] Fyi: IP Addresses and Cost To the Library

[Gareth Hunt]

Marsha and discussed this yesterday and I asked her to send me a note.
So how can we help?

In a quick bull session yesterday, several ideas were thrown around such
as requiring scientists to use a proxy for these services.

Discussion welcome.

Cheers,
Gareth.

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From: "Marsha Bishop" <mbishop at nrao.edu>
To: "Gareth Hunt Contact" <ghunt at nrao.edu>
Cc: "Dale A. Frail" <dfrail at nrao.edu>, "Tim Bastian" <tbastian at nrao.edu>,
        "Marsha Bishop" <mbishop at nrao.edu>
Subject: IP Addresses and Cost To the Library
Date: Fri, 6 Jul 2007 08:32:26 -0400

Gareth,

As we discussed yesterday, the Library would like, if the balance does not weigh more toward IT than the Library, to see NRAO have a single IP address for the world outside NRAO.

Just this year, we have paid over $22K for e-access to journals due to the many IP addresses at NRAO.  This is just the money.  It is now July and I am still trying to get access to some titles ("Radio Science", as an example).  I have sent over 200 e-mails, filled out over 26 licenses, and still do not have access to some items because the various journals want the physical addresses (among other information) for each IP address.  This just goes up as we try to add more and more e-content for the Library users.  

We end up paying the premium price (as if we were UVa, instead of less than 300 potential users) due to the number of IP addresses.  If NRAO had only one outside IP address, I would not have to spend hours (and to date, I have - almost 60 hours and counting) just to ensure access and argue about usage.

This has become such a burden that I have begun to ask our scientists and engineers to submit to other journals due to the problems I am having with some publishers to get a fair (and simple) connection for all of NRAO, especially those who do not have ready access to a physical Library.

So!  If this is feasible and does not cost more to do than it costs the Library, I would like to request a single "outside" IP address.

Thank you.

Marsha J. Bishop
Observatory Librarian
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
520 Edgemont Road
Charlottesville, VA  22903
434.296.0254
434.296.0278 (fax)
www.nrao.edu/library 

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