Elsevier trusts in traditions – no advancement in FinELib-Elsevier negotiations

FinELib and Elsevier negotiators met recently to continue the negotiations started in 2016. FinELib’s requirements remain unchanged: Affordable prices for accessing Elsevier’s journals (SD Freedom collection) and advancing open access. Preventing the rise of the total cost of publishing is an essential issue in the negotiations.

Unfortunately the first meeting showed that Elsevier is not willing to develop open access business models. Elsevier insists on keeping up the traditional subscription model and the price increases linked to it. Elsevier is not responding to the severe budget cuts in Finnish universities, universities of applied sciences and research institutes nor to the scholarly community’s demand for open access publishing.

FinELib and Elsevier will continue the negotiations in June. FinELib will give an update about the progress of the negotiations.