Thursday, 8 December 2011

British Library INCD Licensing Framework - Update

The Publishers Licensing Society (PLS) in the UK has agreed an extension to the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) document delivery agreement with the British Library. This will mirror the framework agreement negotiated by the International Association of Scientific, Technical & Medical Publishers (STM) in consultation with the Publishers Association (PA) and will particularly assist smaller publishers who may not wish to set up an agreement with the British Library directly.

Publishers who currently mandate PLS will be contacted in the near future regarding this licence extension. If you are not a mandating PLS publisher and wish to know about the services they provide, please contact them at pls@pls.org.uk or +44 (0)20 7299 7730. Further details can be found at: http://www.pls.org.uk/default.aspx

Audrey McCulloch
Executive Director, UK
audrey.mcculloch@alpsp.org

Monday, 7 November 2011

ALPSP endorses new British Library INCD Licensing Framework

ALPSP endorses the soon-to-be launched British Library INCD Service for the supply of copies of articles to non-commercial end users via not-for-profit libraries outside the UK. The INCD Service is underpinned by agreements with publishers, for which a framework licence agreement, to be entered into directly between individual publishers and the British Library, has been agreed with the British Library by the International Association of Scientific, Technical & Medical Publishers (STM) in consultation with the Publishers Association (PA).

ALPSP recommends that its members sign up to licence agreements with the British Library based on this framework before 29th November.

The Framework Licence Agreement
Under these agreements, articles supplied via the new service will only be available to an individual student or lecturer at an educational institution served by an authorized library or a person affiliated to the institution in another manner, for non-commercial research or private study only.

Authorised libraries, defined as non-commercial libraries linked to educational institutions that choose to use the new INCD service, will actively monitor and ensure end users' compliance with the differentiation between commercial and non-commercial use. There will be a cap on the number of deliveries to each authorized library in any calendar year. The cap is set at nine items from each volume of a journal or serial or from the same book.

INCD licence agreements with the British Library could deliver additional sales for publishers by exposing their content to a wide range of potential subscribers. The British Library will supply details about who is ordering copies under the service enabling publishers to target potential customers for subscription, where usage suggests this would be appropriate.

Additional security for publishers is provided by the cap on the number of items that can be ordered by an individual authorised library in each calendar year; once this cap is exceeded, the publisher's set fee will apply.

Fees for the INCD service will be the standard BL supply fee plus the appropriate royalty fee (as set by the publisher). Any order fulfilled using the 24-hour service will attract the full commercial fee.

The new service will start from 1st January 2012.

Next Steps for ALPSP Members
As the British Library will phase out its current non-commercial cross border service in order to start its new INCD Service at the start of 2012, publishers are encouraged to sign the licence agreement as soon as possible so that the new service can be implemented on time.


  • The British Library has already contacted all publishers with which it has subscription agreements.

  • Publishers who have already been contacted are kindly requested to send their signed licence agreements to the British Library by Tuesday 29th November.
    Publishers who have not yet been approached, should contact the British Library for more information and to obtain a copy of the agreement.

If you require more information, need a copy of the agreement, or want to return your signed agreement, please contact: Matthew Bailey, Licensing Manager, The British Library, 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB; Tel. +44 (0) 20 7412 7308; Email: matthew.bailey@bl.uk


Full information on the INCD Service can be found on the British Library's FAQs (pdf).
In order to assist Publishers who wish to enter into the licence agreement, there is also a Toolkit for Publishers (pdf)


Sarah Durrant
Chief Executive
sarah.durrant@alpsp.org +44(0)1728 604204

Friday, 28 October 2011

SSP 2011 Fall Seminar Series

The Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP) presents its 2011 Fall Seminar Series, being held on November 8th and 9th at the American Geophysical Union in Washington, DC.

Attendees are invited to join colleagues and experts from across the industry for these exciting and informative seminars:

Seminar 1 – Tuesday, November 8, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Content and Apps for Mobile Devices: Engaging Users in the Mobile Experience



The increasing popularity and use of mobile devices are transforming the way users access and interact with information. This seminar will feature a detailed case study and presentations by STM and humanities publishers and librarians who will share their perspectives on delivering, providing and accessing content in the mobile arena. With a focus on the user, the following topics will be addressed:



  • How are publishers and libraries engaging the user?


  • What does the user want from the mobile experience?


  • How does the user interact with mobile content?


For more information on the stellar presenters lined up for this seminar – including Jonathan Stark, the mobile app consultant that the Wall Street Journal has called an expert on publishing desktop data to the web – see http://bit.ly/nxhapN.


Seminar 2 – Wednesday, November 9, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Moving to the Online-Only Journal: Breaking Free of Print Constraints

If you are considering moving your publications to an “online-only” format, this full-day seminar will explore the issues that will arise and the opportunities that become available when you break away from the print-based medium. The speakers will address concerns about eliminating print, including:



  • Protecting advertising revenue


  • Converting print subscribers to online readers (including those who receive print as a member benefit)


  • Managing challenges of archiving


  • Developing pricing strategies

The seminar speakers, who represent publishers breaking new ground in the online presentation of content, will provide examples of their features, discuss issues related to continuous publication, and examine the expanded and creative use of linking and videos. For a full list of speakers, see http://bit.ly/nxhapN.

The end of an era

For those of you who don’t already know, long-standing ALPSP member and industry legend, John Cox retires at the end of October after 42 years in the business.

John, who originally trained as a barrister, maintains he was ‘side-tracked’ into publishing! He spent ten years with the Open University before running the UK arm of Scholastic during the 1980s. He then joined BH Blackwell with whom he stayed until 1994 when he joined Carfax - later purchased by Routledge - as MD. When Routledge was sold to Taylor & Francis, John started his consultancy, John Cox Associates.

One of his earliest pieces of consultancy work was developing a set of model journal licences which have proved invaluable for over a decade to publishers and libraries alike, and which will continue to be available through Ringgold. ALPSP members will also be familiar with the ALPSP Scholarly Publishing Practice Surveys which John undertook with his daughter, Laura.

John will remain connected to the industry through his Non-executive Directorships and occasional consultancy projects. He will also continue his life-long work with the UK Civil Aviation Authority. In one guise or another, John was a member of ALPSP for over 20 years and on behalf of ALPSP Council, members and staff, I would like to wish him enjoyment and fulfilment as he begins this next exciting chapter.

Sarah Durrant
Chief Executive

Friday, 26 August 2011

Forthcoming events at the Stationers' Hall

On Monday, 12 September at 6.30 pm the Digital Media Group of the Stationers’ Company, in association with the Marketors’ Company, are holding one of their roundtables on "How do you win in today’s Digital World?"

The format will be a keynote speaker, Rory Sutherland, Executive Creative Director Ogilvy Group and a moderator, Venetia Howes, Immediate Past Master of the Marketors’ Company, with a panel who are: Fergus Boyd, Head of e-Business at Virgin Atlantic, Daniel Finkelstein, Executive Editor of The Times and Professor Merlin Stone, IBM Professor of Marketing at Surrey European Mgt School.

Click here for more detail and to book tickets


On Monday, 17 October 2011 at 6.30 pm The Industry Group of the Stationers’ Company, in association with the Freemen’s Association, will host an evening on “The Changing World of Procurement within the Printing and Publishing supply Chain”.

The speakers will describe procurement in the Publishing, Print Management, Printing, Paper Merchanting and Paper industries, addressing key concerns for the future as well as current practices in purchasing and will include: Mark Cruise, Head of Print Management at BSkyB, Tony Palmer, European Procurement Director of Sun Chemical, William Oldham, General Manager of UPM-Kymmene (UK) Ltd and Nigel Lyons, Managing Director of Pinstripe Print Group.

Click here for more detail and to book tickets

Both these events will take place at Stationers’ Hall, Ave Maria Lane, London EC4M 7DD and will be preceded by a drinks reception and followed by drinks and canapés.

Friday, 5 August 2011

National Occupational Standards for Publishing

Skillset is updating the National Occupational Standards for Publishing to include journals and the latest digital developments and they want to know what you think.

This important project comes at a critical time for the industry, when digital developments provide both threats and opportunities. As a result, ALPSP is fully supporting the project and we urge all members to take part.

Skillset are organising a series of focus groups
for publishing professionals to discuss and develop the standards:

  • London, Tuesday 13th September, 10:00 - 12:00
  • London, Wednesday 21st September, 14:00 - 16:00
  • Edinburgh, Wednesday 21st September, 13:00 - 15:00
  • Belfast, Thursday 22nd September, 10:00 - 12:00
  • Cardiff, Wednesday 28th September, 11:00 - 13:00
  • Oxford, Thursday 29th September, 10:30 - 12:30
Visit the Skillset blog to register.

If you can't get to one of the focus groups, you can also contribute through telephone interview or by completing a questionnaire please contact Debbie Warren (email) no later than Wednesday 7 September.

If you know someone else who may be interested please let them know about this. Each focus group lasts up to 2 hrs and refreshments will be provided. Skillset can also assist with travel expenses.

Monday, 4 July 2011

PLS 30th Anniversary

The Publishers Licensing Society (PLS) is 30 years old and will be celebrating at its Open Day on Tuesday 12 July. The Open Day will take place at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA, Portland Place, London, W1B 1AD) from 2pm and a full programme can be found on the PLS website. The Open Day will be followed by a drinks reception.

To confirm your free place, contact Imogen Forbes at PLS (020 7299 7732 or email).