Re: exploitation of "Auditory List" as a free "Article Request" list

[Josà Ignacio AlcÃntara <jia10@xxxxxxxxx>]

Thank you Al for making a point that appears to have been overlooked and is highly pertinent to the matter at hand. I might also add that the journal-access problem is also sometimes an issue for researchers in universities that might appear to be well funded - this is often not actually the case in practice: University Departments run on budgets that are increasingly diminishing and Library funding is often a target for cutbacks. There are several journals of interest to me that we do not have a current subscription for, mostly because to get access to one journal necessitates subscribing to a group of journals, many of which are not of interest to our readers. (This is a larger issue that I will not go into, though one that will be familiar to many on this list.)

I have always taken the view that anyone who requests a paper from members on the list will first have attempted to access it by whatever (legitimate) channels are available to them; failing those, they email the list for assistance. Personally, I have no problem with this use of the list - I have both requested and provided articles when the need arises. Furthermore, I consider it perfectly reasonable that a community of like-minded researchers should assist one another in the spirit of not impeding research, which we may all benefit from in the future. 

Yours,

Josà Ignacio AlcÃntara 

Sent from my iPhone

On 6 Aug 2012, at 22:42, Al Bregman <al.bregman@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Hi all,
> 
> Regarding the requests for articles, I would like to remind everyone
> that many members of this list live in countries where the
> universities and libraries are grossly underfunded and therefore can't
> subscribe to many journals, and may not have an inter-library loan
> system in place.  Any articles that we can send them (directly rather
> than via the list) will help these list members to develop arts,
> science, and technology in their countries.  (Another reason why
> blanket rules can result in unwanted consequences).
> 
> Cheers,
> Al
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Albert S. Bregman, Emeritus Professor
> Psychology Department, McGill University
> 1205 Doctor Penfield Avenue
> Montreal, QC, Canada H3A 1B1.
> Office:  Phone: (514) three-nine-eight-6103,
>            Fax: (514) three-nine-eight-4896
> http://webpages.mcgill.ca/staff/Group2/abregm1/web/
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> 
> On Mon, Aug 6, 2012 at 1:48 PM, David Morris <dmorris@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> Having recently posted the on the list requesting an article (a golden oldie from more than half a century ago, that no library in my vicinity could produce) one can't help but feel vilified by Brian's mail.  I'm sure that wasn't his intention, and us article-hustlers should take it in the reasonable house-keeping spirit with which it was probably intended.
>> 
>> On the other hand, seven member of the list subsequently wrote to me off list and requested a copy.  Perhaps we should all adjust our mail filters to reflect our interests and avoid an exchange like the one we had over Positions Vacant postings - unproductive and unresolved.
>> 
>> David Morris