Don,
The "platform" Academic Press (AP) is creating, called
International Digital Electronic Access Library (IDEAL), is described
below. Access to TOCs and abstracts is free. Access to full articles
is by a site license approach, called AP Print and Electronic Access
License (APPEAL), initially aimed at very large consortia like state
systems or countries, and priced at a modest premium above print
alone.
The IDEAL environment is an experiment in journal publishing.
Many new features and services will emerge in the next few years.
Certainly, publication will be speeded up, although total time to
publish depends on more than just the mode of delivery.
Ken Metzner
___________________________________________________________________
INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL ELECTRONIC ACCESS LIBRARY (IDEAL)
1. IDEAL is 3-year pilot project of Academic Press, that exploits the
Internet to greatly expand and improve access to scientific journals.
Through licensing agreements with selected library networks, IDEAL
brings Academic Press research journals directly to the end users'
digital desktops.
2. IDEAL uses an efficient no-nonsense approach based on an open
non-proprietary modular architecture. Starting with the 1996 issues
of 184 Academic Press journals, it will add over 2000 articles every
month. Other publishers are being invited to join in the project.
3. To create this IDEAL environment Academic Press has formed an
alliance with Fujitsu and its affiliates, who are major international
technology providers. Mirrored sites will be established in Europe
and the US, and later in Japan and elsewhere, in order to insure
efficient access from all points on the globe 24 hours per day, 365
days in the year.
4. Anyone with access to the Internet will be able to freely browse
and search the IDEAL database of journal tables of contents with any
standard Web browser, such as Netscape. Searching of abstracts will
also be free initially.
5. Authorized Users at sites within the licensed library networks of
the pilot project will be able to view, print, and download complete
articles in Adobe's Acrobat format without restriction for personal
use and for course packs.
6. Two prototype journals, JMB Online (Journal of Molecular Biology)
[as of July] and Genomics [as of Nov.], can be accessed license-free
in 1995 at http://www.hbuk.co.uk/jmb and at http://www.apnet.com. As
a further experiment within the pilot project, access to JMB Online
and Genomics Online will continue to be free in 1996 for any
individuals at institutions holding paper subscriptions.
7. Inquiries from interested library networks should be addressed to:
Ken Metzner or Chris Gibson
Academic Press, Inc. Academic Press, Ltd.
525 B Street, Suite 1900 24-28 Oval Road
San Diego, CA 92101 London NW1 7DX
tel: 1-619-699-6830 tel: 44-171-482-2893
fax: 1-619-699-6715 fax: 44-171-267-0362
kmetzner at acad.comcgibson at apuk.co.uk
