[FRIAM] of straw and steel

[⛧ glen]

That's confused. The libraries aren't competing with the publishers. Libraries are the customers. You asked "who pays?" The answer is "libraries."

They don't pay for each individual article usually. And just like, say, toilet paper, it's cheaper to buy in bulk.

I have 2 local libraries who subscribe to that journal, both of which allow plebes like me to get a card and check out materials. They're liberal arts unis. But even if they didn't, I could go to the local public library and use the ILL system. So it's not even accurate to say that libraries compete with each other. Hell, it's not really even meaningful to use the phrase "business model".

Asking about the "competition" and "business model" is a sign you've bought into the capitalist perversion of pseudo Darwinism.  Libraries are like freeways and railroads, publicly funded infrastructure. But, like asphalt, there are costs associated with the construction and maintenance of public infrastructure. Not everything can be free and easy.

So perhaps, again like railroads, journal publishing may be a bit antiquated. But the problem isn't well expressed in terms of "competition" and "business model".

On June 29, 2021 6:26:37 PM PDT, thompnickson2 at gmail.com wrote:
>Well, exactly! 
>
>So, if your competitor is a Library who circulates documents for free,
>What is your business model if you are charging 19 dollars? 
>
>N
>
>Nick Thompson
>ThompNickSon2 at gmail.com
>https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Friam <friam-bounces at redfish.com> On Behalf Of u?l? ?>$
>Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 2021 2:54 PM
>To: friam at redfish.com
>Subject: Re: [FRIAM] of straw and steel
>
>It's called "The Library". Surely you have some of those near you,
>right?
>
>https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=no%3A42429544
>
>On 6/26/21 9:13 AM, thompnickson2 at gmail.com wrote:
>> I don’t understand the business model.  Who actually pays 19 dollars
>to read an article?
>
>> 
>> On Thu, Jun 24, 2021 at 8:59 AM uǝlƃ ☤>$ <gepropella at gmail.com
><mailto:gepropella at gmail.com>> wrote:
>> 
>>     Fooling the Victim: Of Straw Men and Those Who Fall for Them
>>     https://muse.jhu.edu/article/796000 
>> <https://muse.jhu.edu/article/796000>
>
-- 
glen ⛧