Unwrapping the Bundle: An Examination of Research Libraries and the "Big Deal"

This study presents and analyzes the findings of a 2012 survey of member libraries belonging to the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) on publishers' large journal bundles and compares the results to earlier surveys. The data illuminate five research questions: market penetration, journal bundle construction, collection format shifts, pricing models, and license terms. The structure of the product is still immature, particularly in defining content and developing sustainable pricing models. The typical "bundle" is something less than the full publisher’s list. Neither market studies nor market forces have produced a sustainable new strategy for pricing and selling e-journals. Finally, a complex history of managing license terms is revealed in the data.Association of Research LibrariesPublisher allows immediate open acces

The State of Large-Publisher Bundles in 2012

Association of Research LibrariesPublisher allows immediate open acces

Statistical Mechanics and the Physics of the Many-Particle Model Systems

The development of methods of quantum statistical mechanics is considered in light of their applications to quantum solid-state theory. We discuss fundamental problems of the physics of magnetic materials and the methods of the quantum theory of magnetism, including the method of two-time temperature Green's functions, which is widely used in various physical problems of many-particle systems with interaction. Quantum cooperative effects and quasiparticle dynamics in the basic microscopic models of quantum theory of magnetism: the Heisenberg model, the Hubbard model, the Anderson Model, and the spin-fermion model are considered in the framework of novel self-consistent-field approximation. We present a comparative analysis of these models; in particular, we compare their applicability for description of complex magnetic materials. The concepts of broken symmetry, quantum protectorate, and quasiaverages are analyzed in the context of quantum theory of magnetism and theory of superconductivity. The notion of broken symmetry is presented within the nonequilibrium statistical operator approach developed by D.N. Zubarev. In the framework of the latter approach we discuss the derivation of kinetic equations for a system in a thermal bath. Finally, the results of investigation of the dynamic behavior of a particle in an environment, taking into account dissipative effects, are presented.Comment: 77 pages, 1 figure, Refs.37

Shared Collections: Collaborative Stewardship, Chapter 1: Collaboration: The Master Key to Unlocking Twenty-First-Century Library Collections

Author's final manuscript with permission of publisher.Authors draft of the introductory chapter of the monograph, "Shared Collections: Collaborative Stewardship." The chapter highlights key assumptions underpinning collection development and management that are being rethought. Key foundations for rethinking collection management, particularly print collection management are presented and discussed. The importance of collaborative and cooperative strategies for achieving new levels of scale and the consequent benefits are highlighted.No embarg