No Subject

[Jared Phillips <PHILLIJM@WPOFFICE.WHITMAN.EDU>]

>>> <Grassmick@aol.com> 10/10/95 05:03am >>>
here's the problem with LEXIS. . . 

it EXCLUDES.  it has made a corporate decision that a class of individuals may use its services at a preferred price.
 College libraries, be they in
Walla Walla or New York do not exclude.  In fact, many research libraries make an effort to make their services
available to anyone who needs them (for a legitimate research purpose). 
This is not an issue of what's in a library, does a school have a bad library, or even where is the nearest library.  It
is a question of whether or not someone will be allowed to enter the library.
 While LEXIS may only be an information retrieval service, it is quite an efficient one.  Hence, the use of LEXIS
creates an exclusive and offensive information hierarchy--a world in which LEXIS marketing people decide who
may access information efficiently, and who may not...

I have a few problems with your discussion of LEXIS.  First, the idea that there are such things as "LEXIS" cards. 
As was stated in an earlier post, LEXIS simply is a retrieval service.  Second, the idea that you would listen to an
incrediblely unverifiable arguement, i.e. drop teams that use LEXIS evidence obtained off-site.  How could you
EVER know if a card was obtained off-site?  Third, did you discuss with your rep the reason that LEXIS has a
different pricing structure?   Perhaps the lower rate is giving to schools based on an internal criteria of profitablity?
What if the location or area that certain schools are in would tax their equipment too heavily to justify an
educational rate?  Or what if the "educational" rate in general is a loss-leader for LEXIS?

---

• Prev by Date: effects counterplans
• Next by Date: The Mexico Topic in the Spring -Reply
• Prev by thread: No Subject
• Next by thread: No Subject
• Index(es):
  • Date
  • Thread
  • Author

---

Archive created by Jonathan Stanton (jonathan@cs.jhu.edu)
Return to main CEDA-L Archive Page