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Fourteen of 26 members of the editorial board of the Journal of Academic Librarianship have tendered their resignations in protest over increased prices imposed by Reed Elsevier, which purchased the journal from JAI Press in October 1998. They have agreed to stay through the end of the year in order to oversee articles already selected.
Gloriana St. Clair, who has served as JAL editor since 1996 and is one of the resignees, told American Libraries that a 22% price increase (the largest in the journal's history) was put into effect even before the transfer took place officially.
In an editorial that will be published in JAL in May, St. Clair wrote: "For librarians who are highly visible on campus around [journal pricing] issues to be working with Elsevier poses a moral and professional conundrum. . . . [A]s a matter of simple equity and fairness librarians need to follow their own advice." She said that creating an alternative electronic journal would be considered.
Posted April 19, 1999.
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