Ruminations on the Sci-Tech Serials Crisis

Theme: The Serials Crisis in Science and Technology Libraries

Abstract

Commercial sci-tech publishers have been identified as the villains in the serials crisis. However, dispassionate observations over a number of years would suggest that the current crisis is a result of many villains including the accusers themselves. The situation did not arise solely as a result of changing pricing policies of the last few years. The "sins of the past" coupled with the myopia of not looking outside the ivied walls of academe provided the foundation for the current crisis. The interaction of the larger environment with the interrelationships between the roles each villain plays suggests solutions may not be readily achievable.