According to today’s news from The Liberty Times 2007/12/31，More than 140 academic libraries in Taiwan united to force Elsevier to reduce the price of 「Science Direct」.
The annual price increasing of academic journals is always a nightmare to global libraries in recent decades, in order to renew the Science Direct in 2008, most of the academic libraries in Taiwan started to negotiate with Elsevier around Sept, but the results were unsatisfied to those libraries, because in 2007, Taiwan academic libraries paid more than 22 millions USD to Elsevier, but California Digital Library only paid 9 millions USD, and the total FTE of Taiwan universities(member of Science Direct) were less than CDL, therefore, National Taiwan University Library called on more than 140 academic libraries in Taiwan to protest the unreasonable price of Science Direct. However, Elsevier not to be outdone, they sent mails to the subscribers of Science Direct in Taiwan and asked them to renew the contract in time, otherwise they will cease the online access to part of journals from Science Direct.
Finally, Elsevier agreed to below terms of the new contract.
1. Reduced 8.6％ and allowed libraries to delete print journals. This will give libraries more options, in 2005-2007, the price cap was 5% and delete print journal was not allowed.
2. If the access rate of 2008 reach a specific amount, Elsevier will give libraries the print journals free of charge which worth thousands of US dollars.
I think this is a good start to protest the unreasonable annual price increasing of academic journals, because in the digital age, the price of electronic journals should be more flexible.
Source 1 : The Liberty Times 2007/12/31
Source 2 : Library Views 圖書館觀點
