Starting at the end of December, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, publisher of Science magazine, will no longer contribute the magazine's content to JSTOR, an online database of academic articles and publications.
This decision represents a recent trend of magazines deciding to digitize and control their own content. According to a Science magazine press release, "AAAS shares the belief that it is now time to assume the full responsibility for maintaining a complete electronic archive of its flagship publication."
Current JSTOR users will still be able to access old issues, but 2002 issues will mark the last year of content included in the collection. AAAS has created Science Classic, "a digital archive of more than 115 years of Science content," and the success of this archive is what prompted the decision to end participation in JSTOR, the press release indicated.
According to JSTOR Executive Director Michael Spinella, the decision was not a result of dissatisfaction on the part of Science magazine.
"We had a very productive eight-year relationship, and we feel that it was very good for the academic community," Spinella said.
He said he believes the magazine was interested in having greater control over their content.
Spinella emphasized that while the termination of JSTOR's relationship with Science is disappointing, it will not be a huge blow to libraries.
"Everything already in the archive will remain in archive. Issues from 1880 to 2002 will be available, but only those libraries that already have access to legacy science content will be able to continue access," Spinella said.
Spinella agreed that there is a trend of publications wanting to digitize their own content, but added that this does not necessarily mean they will all terminate their partnerships with JSTOR.
"Our agreements are nonexclusive," Spinella said, adding that in JSTOR's 10 years in operation this is the first title that has chosen to terminate its agreement.
According to University Librarian Karin Wittenborg, JSTOR is one of the most heavily used full-text resources at the University.
"Students find it easy to use," Wittenborg said. "It's always nice when titles are bundled together."
While the decision to sever ties with JSTOR may prove inconvenient for libraries, "we'll continue to ... have access to Science, one way or another," Wittenborg said.
According to Wittenborg, many librarians are disappointed by the decision and have written letters to AAAS trying to get them to reconsider.
"For us, while it's less convenient, it's something we must provide access to," Wittenborg said.
Wittenborg added that she would not consider Science magazine's decision a trend.
"Various publications are trying different avenues to decide what works best for them and the readers," she said. "What's interesting is the whole world of publishing is changing so much because of technology. We're still in an experimental mode"
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