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

[Alan Bridle]

All -

I think if we can really save the Library tens of thousands of dollars and
time that could then be spent on other services, we should try to.

It's understandable that publishers try to cover costs through IP-based
library subscriptions and pay-per-read web sites, whether or not IP
counting really imakes sense technically as a .usage measure

 From there on, it's just IP address gamesmanship for institutions to keep
their reader-based costs down, again whether or not that makes technical
sense.   

So I think we should experiment with getting people to use the proxy for
access to library services (explaining that this is a subscription-saving
strategy) and then see how many staff object to any awkwardness
involved.
 
In the end we will make some tradeoff between any extra awkwardness
for individual users and spending real $$ in proportion to our actual use
of the publishers' products. 

We don't want our Library or the technical publishers to go out of
business, so our community has interests on all sides of this. I think many
staff will see that a compromise is needed if it's explained to them.

A.


On 7/6/2007 10:04 AM, James Robnett wrote:
>      Requiring they go through the proxy is about
> the only solution.
>
>      The idea of 'one IP address' for NRAO is rather
> meaningless.
>
>      Solving this is pretty much a no-op beyond
> sending an email to scistaff directing them at
> the proxy howto.    We could pretty it up a bit
> by having directions specific to this issue.
>
>       There's absolutely no reason for us to be
> spending that kind of money.
>
> James
>
> On Jul 6, 2007, at 6:49 AM, Gareth Hunt wrote:
> chunls
>   
>> 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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