(Fwd) RE: Securing the future of Acubriefs

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

 

On April 20th, I wrote:

 

> Dear Acubriefs team (Peggy, James), and All,

 

> It is with deep regret that I note the change in status of Acubriefs

> from a FREE to a commercial service. I plead with you to reconsider,

> and reverse, if possible, your decision to go commercial. Although the

> annual fee for registration is reasonable, many professionals in

> developing countries CANNOT AFFORD to pay ANY membership fees.

 

> Also, the hassle of registration and remembering login IDs and

> Passwords puts off casual searchers.

 

> Acubriefs was one of the very few data sources on acupuncture

> literature that was FREE to the public and to acupuncture

> professionals. If the service requires a fee, it will put it out of

> reach of many professionals who need access to up-to-date literature.

 

> The Acubriefs team must have funding to maintain a high quality

> service, but I plead with them to seek such funding from the industry

> (laser / needle / acupuncture equipment suppliers, textbook suppliers,

> etc) and to leave their literature services totally free to

> professionals and the public. Best regards,

 

Below is a mail from Dr James K Rotchford, MD, MPH, the creator and

Webmaster of Acubriefs.

 

James explained that Acubriefs is underfunded. He has subsidized it

heavily from his personal income (and a heavy commitment in personal

time) for years. He cannot continue to do that any longer.

 

I congratulate James and his team for their hard work in providing and

maintaining an excellent acupuncture resource. I understand that such

a resource needs adequate funding to continue.

 

Therefore, I ask you all to notify your acupuncture colleagues, and any

philantropic friends interested in supporting the infrastructure of

complementary medicine, of the importance of supporting Acubriefs in

whatever way you/they can.

 

If you have ideas on securing funding for Acubriefs, please email: " Dr.

James K Rotchford " <Kimber.

 

Without adequate funding we will lose one of the best acupuncture

resources on WWW.

 

Best regards,

 

 

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Dr. James K Rotchford wrote:

 

Dear Phil,

It was heartening to hear your vigorous support of Acubriefs and the

importance of keeping it free for all. Unfortunately, because of

insufficient funding, that is not possible.

 

Because I feel as you do about the importance of making acupuncture

data readily available to professionals and the public, I have subsidized

Acubriefs significantly over the last couple of years since it was put in

my lap. However, as I am in private medical practice in a rural setting, I

cannot afford to continue to do this.

 

I hesitated to raise the commercial sponsorship rates, given that the

corporate sponsors who support Acubriefs are already rather generous

because they probably pay more than the number of hits warrants.

 

Therefore, I sought tax free donations through the Best of Both Worlds

Foundation, wrote letters to schools, and even thought I might sell the

site to someone with more means. However, I was unable to get any

reassurance that the site and database would remain available to the

public.

 

So, what we have come up with is a compromise that may or may not

work. Only the most current citations are no longer free. To break even,

we probably need at least 30 new yealrly rs/month.

 

Although the immediate response to our offer for subscriptions is on

track, it is too early to assess if Acubrief’s long term future is secure.

 

If funding was adequate I would also resume doing the monthly reviews

which I believe was a helpful way of introducing the research data to

pertinent issues in reviewing the literature.

 

Finally we have announced that we are willing to offer free access to the

database based on stated need. Maintaining the database is essential

only if it is widely available. Since Acubrief's inception I have been a

strong advocate for keeping it free. I invested even further to see if this

subscription idea will work in the hope we can establish a secure future

for Acubriefs and its accessibility. I do not know what we will do if it

does not work out. I am open to ideas.

 

Again thanks for your support.

Sincerely,

James K Rotchford, MD MPH

Editor Acubriefs.com

1334 Lawrence Street

Port Townsend,

WA 98368

Tel: 360-385-4843 Fax: 360-379-1441

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