College and Research Libraries


Letters 
To the Editor: 

Thank you for publishing Christopher W. Nolan's article "The Lean Reference 
Collection: Improving Functionality through Selection and Weeding" in your January 
issue. It was just what I needed. 

We-there are five of us reference librarians here-started weeding our reference 
collection last fall. Our plan was that each of us would select two items per week for 
weeding, place those items, with explanatory notes, at the reference desk for review by 
the entire staff, and then submit the items to a weed vote at our weekly reference 
meeting · 

We began with much enthusiasm for the task and commitment to the plan. Alas, 
under the pressures of day-to-day obligations, some of us have allowed our enthusiasm 
to wane and our commitment to waiver. I, especially, who pushed weeding with an 
almost religious zeal, have not kept the faith of late. I have been too busy, you 
understand, with "more important" things. 

Reading Mr. Nolan's article, however, caused me to reflect upon who I am as a 
librarian and to remember just what it is that I am supposed to be doing. And now, I 
think I'd better get back to it! 

GREGORY L. ANDERSON 
Calvin T. Ryan Library, 
University of Nebraska-Kearney 

To the Editor: 
I noted with amazement and dismay journal price increases by three foreign publish-

ers (C&RL 3/91). If Pergamon Press is one of the three foreign publishers, libraries are 
responsible, in a way, for Pergamon's Robert Maxwell buying the New York Daily News. 

·How did society let commercial publishers become the "toll takers" for the transmis-
sion of scientific information? 

It may be naive, but isn't it possible to get foundation or government funding to 
establish U.S. noncommercial journals to compete in the marketplace? Many journal 
publishers appear to be reaping large profits in reporting research done, in good part, 
with taxpayers' funds. 

I find it ironic and outrageous that publishers that sell primarily to libraries seem 
extraordinarily profitable; Gale was sold some years ago for $64 million. Pergamon was 
sold recently to Elsvier for more than $700 million.* It appears from the sale price that 
Pergamon is obscenely profitable. To give some scale to this price, $700 million is 
estimated to be the total public library part of the U.S. trade book market. 

MARVIN H. SCILKEN 
Director, Orange (New Jersey) Public Library 

* I note from newspaper stories that Elsvier has purchased Pergamon for over $700 
million. 

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