Unfair CDROM Pricing

[Jerry Blankestyn <KWV_BLANKEST@MEC.OHIO.GOV>]

Please join me in protesting the current unfair pricing being conducted by
many (most) of the large-database CDROM vendors.

I am talking about the vendors that charge substantial prices for the initial
subscription to full-text magazine, newspaper, and other databases and then
charge the same unjustified price for each annual renewal.

When I pay for my hardcopy magazines each year, I pay only for the new issues
coming into the library, not for the 5 years of back issues on my shelves that I
have already paid for.  These vendors are charging us over and over and over
for text we have already paid for.  I expect to pay for the updates to the
database but not for the same information I paid for the year before.

A better solution would be to emulate what the Online Computer Systems
company does with their pricing of the network versions of Groliers Multimedia
Encyclopedia and Incarta.  They charge one fee for the initial purchase and
then a substantially lower fee (1/6 th of the original price) for updates.

SIRS has a two tier pricing system but RAISED their initial price and kept their
renewal price, which is still far too high!  I realize that research and copyrig
 ht
reprint costs don't change for the vendor just because the format changes from
paper to CDROM but the production costs of paper publishing compared to
CDROM disc production is like talking about dollars vs pennies.

Schools and librarians will continue to be overcharged as long as we are willing
to tolerate this inequitable pricing system.  Please file your complaint with
these vendors when they come to hawk their wares.

Jerry Blankestyn         KWV_BLANKEST@MEC.OHIO.GOV
Westerville South H.S.
Westerville, Ohio