In a recent report by the University of Münster, the third largest university of Germany, it was stated that the American Society of Hematology locked out all faculty members from the most current publication of their prestigious journal „Blood“, seriously hindering research.
From the report it became apparent, that this was not a random or unique approach to the University of Münster, but that many libraries all around the globe were facing similiar attempts by the American Society of Hematology to increase the price of Blood by more than three times. The step increase from 1.615$ to 5.500$ making it one of the most expensive journals in any library collection, catching up with journals such as Cell, Nature, and Science.
Aggressive pricing policy and spying on users are used not only by the American Society of Hematology. From time to time, libraries are facing similiar attempts from other journals too, such as Nature Pediatrics, NEJM, among others. But many librarians abroad are confirming that Blood was certainly an extreme example recently.
Foto: Screenshot of Blood Journal
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