Journal Supply Chain FAQs

1. What is the objective of the Pilot?

• The overall objective of the pilot project is to assess the advantages and implications of use of a common institutional identifier throughout the journal subscription supply chain from purchaser to user.
• A secondary goal is to explore the creation, prototype implementation, and value of a common institutional identifier that can be used throughout the industry as a whole, from purchaser to end user.

2. What do you mean by an ‘institutional identifier’?

• In simple terms, an institutional identifier is an unique number associated with an organization and designed for establishing certainty in the exchange of information between two parties about that organization. Application by individuals and organizations dealing with journals and journal content typically will involve information about journal subscribers, their purchase orders, or services related to providing the journal content, in print or electronic formats. 
• Consider that the start of every calendar year is a turbulent time for all parties involved with the journal supply chain. Many of these problems occur because of communication breakdowns somewhere along that chain.
• Each company or organization involved in the chain has its own way of recognizing its customers, users, clients and subscriptions.
• The creation and utilization of a standard institutional identifier attempts to eliminate, mitigate, or at the very least diagnose the following problems:
• missing issues
• lost access to electronic journals
• problems relating to the setting up of initial access
• avoiding confusion with renewals
• dealing with problems associated with title transfers
• consortia purchasing practices

4. What is the scope of the pilot?

• The Pilot will be limited to the UK customers of all the participants.
• The Pilot was initially intended to run from 20 January 2006 until 31 December 2006. Subsequently the Pilot is expanded its scope, timelines, and participants. Details will be announced on this website.
• Deliverables and milestones have been defined and are continuously reviewed and refined.

5. Who are participating in the Pilot?

• The British Library
• HighWire Press
• Ringgold Inc
• Swets Information Services B.V.
• Publishers (associated with HighWire Press), amongst others:
• Oxford University Press
• Rockefeller University Press

6. What is the role of each of the participants in the Pilot?

• The British Library: The British Library will examine the implications for providing access to a number of the publishers’ electronic archives they will be holding.
• HighWire Press: The role of HighWire Press is as a technical advisor per the request of the HW-hosted publishers involved in the project.
• Ringgold Inc: Ringgold’s database of institutions will be used as the basis for the pilot data.
• Swets Information Services B.V.: Swets’ role will be to oversee how a standard identifier will affect the workflow between the publishers and consumers of information.