I asked ALA for useful usage statistics back in March 2013 so we could make 
evidenced-based decisions on our renewal in April.  At the time, they said none 
was available but they would be working on it.  Zora's question prompted me to 
look again in the Toolkit Admin site (http://admin.rdatoolkit.org) and it 
appears there now is one available that we can generate ourselves.  Look under 
Reports, then click on "Peak Concurrency Report," which, if I'm reading it 
correctly, should be showing the highest number of people logged at the same 
time each month.

---Chris.
___________________________________________

[Description: Description: Description: signatures]

Christopher Cronin
Director of Technical Services
University of Chicago Library
1100 E. 57th Street
Chicago, IL 60637

Phone: 773-702-8739
Fax: 773-702-3016
Skype: christopher-cronin
E-mail: cron...@uchicago.edu<mailto:cron...@uchicago.edu>
___________________________________________

From: Resource Description and Access / Resource Description and Access 
[mailto:RDA-L@listserv.lac-bac.gc.ca] On Behalf Of Breeding, Zora
Sent: Friday, November 22, 2013 9:31 AM
To: RDA-L@listserv.lac-bac.gc.ca
Subject: Re: [RDA-L] RDA Toolkit Price Change

I completely agree with Julie.  Instead of considering whether to increase our 
number of users, we will most likely have to scale back to a bare minimum and 
hope we can still work efficiently.

On that note, does anyone know if we can get usage statistics from the Toolkit. 
 When scaling back, it would be good to know how often we hit our peak.

Zora Breeding
Vanderbilt University

From: Resource Description and Access / Resource Description and Access 
[mailto:RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA] On Behalf Of Julie Moore
Sent: Friday, November 22, 2013 9:16 AM
To: RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA<mailto:RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA>
Subject: Re: [RDA-L] RDA Toolkit Price Change

Are you serious?! This is outrageous! Do you know how difficult it was to lobby 
to get RDA Toolkit for our libraries in the first place? (Many administrators 
did not really see the need to move from AACR2 to RDA in the first place.) I 
thought the pricing was high before -- for a basic tool that every cataloger 
needs. This comes at a time when many libraries are experiencing a crisis in 
cataloging -- where administrators are looking for reasons to completely get 
rid of technical services and outsource everything. And now we have to come 
back with this price structure for a basic tool? RDA is going to be the death 
of us catalogers!
This is not only a problem for large libraries, but also medium libraries. This 
pricing is going to squeeze libraries out of the market. Catalogers who cannot 
cough up this kind of money will either have to buy the paper and live with a 
far less superior version of RDA than the Toolkit ... or just catalog blindly 
without access to the rules.
This is VERY disappointing.

Julie Moore
Head of Cataloging
California State University, Fresno

On Fri, Nov 22, 2013 at 6:59 AM, Heidrun Wiesenmüller 
<wiesenmuel...@hdm-stuttgart.de<mailto:wiesenmuel...@hdm-stuttgart.de>> wrote:
Isn't it amazing that *nobody* has commented on the new prices for the RDA 
Toolkit?

Looking at http://www.rdatoolkit.org/content/2014pricechange, I had a short 
moment of mirth when I noticed that the symbol for the British pound is used 
for the Euro prices as well (let's wait and see whether it will be corrected 
now). But then the laughter stuck in my throat when I started to calculate.

We are told that the new pricing model will be cheaper for small libraries. 
Indeed, there is a reduction for up to two concurrent users. Compare the new 
prices with the old ones (given in brackets):

* only one person needing the toolkit: $ 180 ($ 195)
* 1 concurrent user: $ 180 ($ 325)
* 2 concurrent users: $ 342 ($ 380)

Note that there is a considerable benefit if you need one concurrent user. 
However, If there is only one cataloger anyway, or if two concurrent users are 
needed, the reduction is not a large one.

If, however, an institution needs more than two concurrent users, there is a 
substantial rise in prices - and it gets higher and higher the more users are 
needed. Again, compare the new prices with the old ones (given in brackets):

* 3 concurrent users: $ 513 ($ 435)
* 4 concurrent users: $ 684 ($ 490)
* 5 concurrent users: $ 835 ($ 545)
* 6 concurrent users: $ 1002 ($ 545)
* 8 concurrent users: $ 1336 ($ 600)
* 10 concurrent users: $ 1620 ($ 825)
* 15 concurrent users: $ 2370 ($ 1075)
* 20 concurrent users: $ 3060 ($ 1225)
* 25 concurrent users: $ 3825 ($ 1450)

Try as I may, I can't see how the new pricing model "will more fairly 
distribute the cost of subscription across all sizes of institutions". What I 
see instead is a drastic rise in prices which will hit every library which 
needs more than two concurrent users.

My guess is that many larger libraries won't be able or willing to buy the 
number of concurrent users which would be needed according to the number of 
catalogers.

Heidrun


On 13.11.2013 21:14, schrieb James Hennelly:

Effective January 1, 2014 RDA Toolkit will be extending a new pricing model for 
site subscriptions. This change will make implementation of

RDA: Resource Description Access more accessible for small cataloging 
departments and will more fairly distribute the cost of subscription across all 
sizes of institutions. Learn more at 
http://www.rdatoolkit.org/content/2014pricechange.


James Hennelly
Managing Editor
ALA Digital Reference
1-800-545-2433<tel:1-800-545-2433>, ext 5051, or 312-280-5051<tel:312-280-5051>
jhenne...@ala.org<mailto:jhenne...@ala.org>



--

---------------------

Prof. Heidrun Wiesenmueller M.A.

Stuttgart Media University

Wolframstr. 32, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany

www.hdm-stuttgart.de/bi<http://www.hdm-stuttgart.de/bi>



--
Julie Renee Moore
Head of Cataloging
California State University, Fresno
julie.renee.mo...@gmail.com<mailto:julie.renee.mo...@gmail.com>
559-278-5813
"Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from 
themselves."
... James Matthew Barrie

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