The customer versus the container

Susan Starr

doi:10.3163/1536-5050.98.2.001

Abstract

The customer versus the container

Highlights

In a recent conference presentation, John Wilbanks, director of Science Commons, called on journal publishers to focus on ‘‘the customer, not the container.’’ Speaking to the ‘‘2009 IN Conference’’ of the Society for Scholarly Publishing, Wilbanks pointed out that publishing has traditionally focused on the article, the book, or the journal; in other words, publishing has focused on the item that contains information [1]
Gasoline is a good example of a commodity and toasters are another; many think that personal computers will soon become a commodity as well
In common with gas station owners and toaster manufacturers, librarians find that customers have trouble distinguishing our product, the information that we provide, from that delivered by other sources

Summary

Introduction

In a recent conference presentation, John Wilbanks, director of Science Commons, called on journal publishers to focus on ‘‘the customer, not the container.’’ Speaking to the ‘‘2009 IN Conference’’ of the Society for Scholarly Publishing, Wilbanks pointed out that publishing has traditionally focused on the article, the book, or the journal; in other words, publishing has focused on the item that contains information [1]. The only way publishers can distinguish themselves is by adding features that create value for the consumer. In common with gas station owners and toaster manufacturers, librarians find that customers have trouble distinguishing our product, the information that we provide, from that delivered by other sources.

Results

Conclusion