The Library has considered a proposed license agreement regarding 'Nature', 'Nature Monthlies' (Biotechnology, Cell Biology, Genetics, Medicine, Neuroscience, Structural Biology and Immunology) and 'Nature Reviews'. The current licence conditions specify that the electronic version would not include full text articles of non-peer reviewed research, such as 'Opinion', 'News' and 'News and Views' until three months after the date of publication. The Library does not feel that it can accept the resulting twelve issue delay for 'Nature' and the 'Nature Monthlies' since such a delay decreases the value of the electronic version, making it less useful than the the print version.

Many American University libraries, including Harvard, Princeton and the campus libraries of the University of California, also refuse to accept these terms and have also discontinued their electronic subscription to 'Nature' and the 'Nature Monthlies'. Many of the libraries have written to the publisher (Harvard´s letter) including a letter from Per Olsson, Director of Karolinska Institutet Library, however no response has yet been forthcoming.

The above named delay does infact only apply to site licenses. It is our opinion that this discrepancy between the terms of the individual and the institutional licenses offered is a deliberate method of increasing the demand for individual subscriptions, thereby neutralizing the positive effects of site licenses in terms of cost and administration. Although the demand for electronic versions of journals is significant, subscribing to an inferior version of the journal will not serve the needs of our researchers and students.

We are sure that the reactions of researchers and research libraries the world over will force the publisher to change the terms of the institutional licences on offer.

Stuttgart University maintain a provisorial list of universities who have declined and of those who have signed the licence, with references and links where available. You'll find it under  http://www.ub.uni-stuttgart.de/ejournals/Nature_andere_Univ.html

For more information or comments feel free to contact Lotta Åstrand.