Perception of Economics in a Digital Publishing Environment: A Report of a Field Study

The focus of much of the discussion of the economics of journal publishing is the publisher/librarian exchange relationship. There are good reasons for this: it allows discussion of tangibles, the costs of print‐based production, numbers of subscriptions, demand and supply curves based on previous practice and so on. But emphasis on the library/publisher relationship has led to an emphasis on pricing as the key issue in serials provision, when additional issues (fundamental changes in exchange relationships) must be considered. Explores changes in structural relationships which may emerge in a publishing system that is dominated by electronic processes, and the perceptions of those involved of the economic implications of such changes. Consists of three parts: the first reviews the theoretical framework, the second considers the views of practitioners and the third considers developments in policy and infrastructure in the UK since the field work.