Ich hatte (wie wohl die meisten) bisher gar nicht gewußt, dass es ein Unternehmen gibt, welches für (alle?) wissenschaftlichen Bibliotheken ihre Zeitschriften-Abonnements verwaltet und insbesondere auch deren Bezahlung organisiert: Swets & Zeitlinger Information Services B.V..
Seit 2 Wochen ist die Firma jetzt in aller Munde: sie ist pleite, von einem Amsterdamer Gericht für bankrott erklärt, und die Universitätsbibliotheken, die bereits alle ihre Abogebühren für das kommende Jahr bezahlt hatten, werden dieses Geld möglicherweise nicht wiedersehen, weil sie ja an Swets gezahlt hatten und die Gelder bei den Verlagen selbst noch nicht angekommen sind.
Manche Verlage wie de Gruyter oder das Verlagshaus der American Mathematical Society zeigen sich kulant und wollen Bibliotheken auch in 2015 mit Fachzeitschriften beliefern, falls die bereits jetzt die Abogebühren für 2016 bezahlen:
AMS: The American Mathematical Society (AMS) will work individually with all institutions that paid for 2015 subscriptions to AMS products through Swets & Zeitlinger Group BV, prior to their announcement on September 22, 2014, to ensure that institutions receive uninterrupted access to our publications and database products. We ask that your institution provides the AMS with proof of payment for 2015 products. We would also ask that you commit to subscribe to those same products for the following year, 2016.
AMS will work with you to be certain you do not have to pay a second time for your 2015 subscriptions. Note that if the product is available in electronic format, electronic only access will be granted. For print only products, the AMS will provide print format.
As a scientific society as well as publisher, our mission is to provide a stable environment for the dissemination of scholarship and research. We believe this policy best reflects that mission.
Your commitment to subscribe in 2016 should be a good faith commitment. We hope that the money paid for subscriptions is recovered and eventually applied for its original purchase. If only a portion is recovered and returned to the institutions, we hope to receive a proportional share in return for our pledge of uninterrupted service.
de Gruyter: •Customers who have already paid Swets for 2015 subscriptions should contact their Sales Manager with proof of payment. Access will be then given to 2015 content in electronic format. You will not be required to pay a second time.
•We will ask you to commit to a subscription for the same titles in 2016.
•If you subsequently receive a refund from Swets for all or part of the money paid, we would ask that you remit a share to us in recognition of the uninterrupted access granted.
Andere, größere Verlage wie Springer und Elsevier sind da weniger großzügig:
Springer: Our concern is specific to all payments that are (to be) made to Swets, including but not limited to 2015 subscriptions. Our reason for taking this extraordinary step by making this announcement is to mitigate the potential impact this situation might have on your institution and give you the time to consider your options before committing to your 2015 subscriptions. We strongly suggest that you consider using alternative agents for any existing or planned Springer business or contact Springer directly.
Elsevier: If you have used the foundation (“stichting”) to make payments to Swets, we urge you to review the process by which such funds can be refunded to you. If you are about to place an order and submit a payment to Swets through any other means, we urge you to seek alternatives, as we describe below. If you have not done so already, you should review this matter with your finance or procurement leads, and you may also wish to consult your legal adviser.
Until such time as an appropriate order and payment has been received by Elsevier, we will not be able to process orders that have been recently transmitted to Swets.
Kommentare (4)