[WEB4LIB] RILM et.al., the changes in searching

[Martin Jenkins]

Dan Lester wrote:
> 
> There have been recent discussions on the list about the changes in
> availability of a number of databases, including some Wilson
> databases and RILM.  We recently had the option of changing our RILM
> from a per-search charge to a subscription charge.  The provider was
> apologetic about the mid year change.  When we complained to the
> provider, the explanation was "Protest acknowledged. Thanks for the
> feedback.  It was an economic survival decision on the part of RILM."
> This is exactly what I expected, and once again confirms that it is
> the database creators that are making the changes in pricing and
> availability, and not the service providers.

Not so fast. Though it may have been RILM that ultimately made the
decision to drop per-search availability through FirstSearch, it was
OCLC's intransigence on the question of setting per search rates that
forced RILM's hand.
Even relying heavily on volunteer abstractors, RILM is an expensive
database to produce, much moreso than a scanning/typing product like
ContentsFirst. Yet OCLC insists on a one-price-fits-all approach to
per-search pricing. So what's a producer to do? Dumb down the product?
Fortunately, if any outfit can survive, it's RILM. Because it's not one
product in a corporation's stable. It's dedicated scholars and a network
of supporting volunteers, dedicated to providing information truly
needed by our discipline.


-- 
Martin Jenkins
Music and Humanities Librarian
Wright State University
Dayton Ohio 45435
martin.jenkins at wright.edu