China


Adrian Stanley is CEO of The Charlesworth Group (USA). He has also worked in China for four years helping set up Charlesworth China. Charlesworth sells and markets Western content to Chinese libraries and provides global publishing services


The pressures on Chinese researchers to publish in high impact international journals are similar to those on Western researchers. Having their science and work recognised is important. There are also benefi ts and recognition to Chinese authors in showing the world how the science and research in China is continuing to develop at a rapid pace. China is a very important source for content and authors for publishers and not all have fully recognised this yet. There are many Chinese language journals,


over 5,000, and a smaller number of English titles in China. Now, though, there are more incentives for Chinese researchers to publish in higher-impact, international journals. There is a growing interest for Chinese publications to better understand international copyright and licensing opportunities. I believe Chinese publications will continue to develop. As well as working closely in the Chinese publishing market, The Charlesworth Group helps organise and facilitate a large number of


national online agreements through consortia, bringing Western publishers’ content to China. Language does not seem as much of a barrier to researchers as perhaps it was in the past. However, navigating and fi nding the right content can be a challenge, especially as many universities still hold individual print subscriptions and are making the transition to online campus-wide access. There is also a lack of knowledge and understanding in the West of where the best research is happening in China. Top Western universities like Harvard, Oxford or MIT are all well-known names with prestigious reputations that can instantly be recognised and geographically located. The top universities in China like Tsinghua University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Peking or Zhejiang University are far less well known, but will be fi nding their place on the international research map (see below). On the content sale side for Western publishers, there has been a lot of change in the


Victor Li is country manager of Swets’ China offi ce


Frans Van Ette, commercial director, region East, of Swets, with librarians from the National Library of China


The period from the late 1990s to 2004 was the so-called golden period in the industry in China. During that period, libraries ‘competed’ to buy online resources. But after that period, many libraries felt that they owned enough resources so they became very cautious about adding any new products and services. During that golden period, many major


foreign publishers set up offi ces in China. Their sales people promoted products to librarians by visiting them directly and aggressively. Libraries dealing directly with the largest publishers was a challenge for us. We needed to build a strong


www.researchinformation.info


sales team to build effective relationships with customers. When we promote Swets’ access management solutions, such as Swetswise Online Content, Title bank and Linker, many libraries think of them as luxuries. We have needed lots of perseverance to make customers understand the value of such solutions. The tendency to cut print journal subscriptions is also happening in China, as in the West. We need to invest heavily in time and human power to close deals for online products. In addition, for each and every order, according to governmental regulations, foreign vendors need to pay authorised local agents substantial commissions. Although the communications between


China and the West have been increasing fast, language is still a barrier to some extent. Not many Chinese researchers speak fl uent English. However, most Chinese researchers can read and write English very well, which means that they can share information about research with the West effectively through academic journals.


Research Information August/September 2010 17


Charlesworth China directors proposing a toast


market. The two largest consortia have been evolving and changing: CALIS – the Chinese Academy of Library Information System, will now be known as DRAA – Digital Resource Acquisition Alliance of Chinese Academic Libraries. There was also central funding available for the purchase of country-wide licences. We are noticing that institutions are buying more content as online site licences or as regional consortia. Having good people on the ground who know and understand the rapid pace of chance is very important. There is considerable positive change and much to learn working in and with China.


Some of the top Chinese universities 1 Peking University 2 Tsinghua University 3 Fudan University 4 Zhejiang University 5 Nanjing University 6 Shanghai Jiao Tong University 7 Wuhan University 8 Renmin University of China 9 Jilin University 10 Sichuan University


Source: Chinese University Alumni Association 2009 (map prepared by Adrian Stanley)


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