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Well, they've been maintaining access for institutions that cancelled their subscriptions for presumably this reason pretty often already, but as more and more
by Vinnl 7y ago
Well, they've been maintaining access for institutions that cancelled their subscriptions for presumably this reason pretty often already, but as more and more institutions jumped on the train, that's not really tenable: why would others keep paying subscriptions if you're not going to cut off access if they don't?
But of course, if it turns out that access is not that necessary anyway, people will stop paying too. But well, that's the risk if you're not adding that much value. And by now, Elsevier has seen this coming long enough that they've hedged their bets well enough not to be reliant on journal subscriptions alone any more. In fact, I'm sure they'll have considered the past few years in which subscriptions hadn't yet massively been cancelled as being a windfall.
- 0az 7y agoBased on the email I got last week, they have a contractual obligation for old content. As for the new issues: I believe there's a standing recommendation to look for preprints or ask the authors for a copy.
- Vinnl 7y agoYes, I think usually access is perpetual, just as it would have been had the library had a physical copy. For new issues, I'm confident people will manage; as you say, preprints have taken root in many more disciplines, and there are plenty of alternatives - legal ones, like inter-library loan, and Sci-Hub.