Subject: Re: five postings
From: Walter Neumann <neumann@cpw.math.columbia.edu>
Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2007 11:28:13 -0500 (EST)

 David Pengelley wrote:

>
> On another note, I wonder what the future of the journal Topology is.  
Is Elsevier actually trying to find a new set of editors?


I'm sure they will find people uninformed enough to serve. Libraries do 
not easily drop subscriptions, so regardless how far the quality of the 
journal drops it will be a money maker for Elsevier for a long time.

The  "Information For Authors" on their web page 
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/261/authorinstructions
still invites submissions to the old editorial board:

  Guide for Authors

  Submission of Papers
  Authors are requested to submit their original manuscript and figures
  with two copies to one of the Editors for consideration:
  Dr M.R.Bridson/Prof N.J.Hitchin/Prof I.M.James/Prof F.C.Kirwan/Prof
  D.Quillen/Prof G.B.Segal The Mathematical Institute, 24-29 St Giles,
  Oxford OX1 3LB, UK. E-mail: topology@maths.ox.ac.uk Please address to
  Topology's Secretary for the above Editors.

  Prof R.Cohen, Stanford University,Stanford, CA 94305, USA

  Prof F. Hirzebruch, Max-Planck-Institut fur Mathematik,
  Gottfried-Claren-Strasse 26, D 53225 Bonn, Germany

  Prof J.Lannes, Centre de Mathématiques, Ecole Polytechnique, 91128
  Palaiseau Cedex, France

  Prof J. Roe, Department of Mathematics, Penn State University,
  University Park, PA 16802, USA

I find this a complete fraud on the part of Elsevier. In response to a 
former editor's query they apparantly said that editors are still handling 
papers in the pipeline and that is why they are still listed. The fact 
that former editors still handle the pipeline as a courtesy does not make 
them editors, and certainly does not justify the above text. With all due 
respect to the former editors, I think they should tell Elsevier that they 
will stop handling the pipeline unless Elsevier eliminates this text.

Walter Neumann
______________________________________________________________________

Subject: comment for the list
From: James E McClure <mcclure@math.purdue.edu>
Date: Fri, 2 Mar 2007 11:01:54 -0500 (EST)

Here's a comment on part of David Pengelley's recent posting.

>> Elsevier (and other publishers') journals are often part of a package
>> contract or consortium contract.  For instance, when I tell my library 
to
>> cancel Topology and start subscriptions to less expensive journals 
using the
>> funds saved (e.g., AGT, GT, J. of Topology), they can't directly do 
this,
>> since Topology is part of a big package.

I asked our librarian about this.  It turns out that the Purdue libraries 
do
not subscribe to the big package but instead have negotiated an ``a la
carte'' contract with Elsevier, so when we cancelled Topology it was 
credited
to our departmental library budget.  I think there are other universities 
that
also have an a la carte arrangement.

Jim McClure