National and international publishing in relation to the dissemination of information in all disciplines

Abstract

The situation for publishers and librarians in the 1970s is in sharp contrast with the 1960s. That was a boom decade: with expanding student numbers, new libraries founded, and money available for book purchase. Now inflation goes hand in hand with something very like recession: with insufficient money available in the public sector of book buying to accommodate rising costs. These, in 1974, are rising faster than ever: material costs and overheads are rising at an annual rate of something like 30% at this moment. These circumstances affect publishing generally, and academic publishing faces a crisis. This can be defined by saying that while the funds available dictate a cutback in new publication, the rise in overhead demands an expansion, otherwise new books will be so expensive that the demand for them will be even further depressed. What we shall see therefore is a complex evolution: some cutting back, some diversification, some expansion. Publishers will change their ‘mix’. These circumstances dictate which of the technological options get taken up. This is no moment for major changes demanding large capital outlay. By and large, therefore, the printed book is safe. But we shall see some modifications in the conventional ‘printed’ book. We shall also see ‘do it yourself’ publishing from sponsoring societies wanting to avoid the effect of publishers' overheads on prices of books with small print runs.