National Academies Press
The US National Academies Press was created to publish reports issued by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. This organization publishes nearly 500 titles a year on topics ranging from sciences to transportation. Its stated mission appears self-contradictory at first glance. The press must disseminate works as widely as possible while remaining financially self-sustaining through sales. This dual goal has driven decades of experimentation with online publishing models.
In 1993, the entity known as the National Academy Press became the first self-sustaining publisher to make material available on the Web for free. By 1997, one thousand reports were accessible as sequential page images starting with i, then ii, then iii, and continuing onward. A minimal navigational envelope accompanied these digital files. Their experience up to 1998 indicated that open access led to increased sales when page images served as the final viewable object. From 1998, the NAP developed Openbook, an online navigational envelope producing stable page URLs. This system enabled chapter, page, and in-book search navigation to images of book pages. HTML chunks increasingly replaced static images to allow users to browse books directly. This page-by-page navigation arrived long before Amazon's Look Inside or Google's Book Search existed.
In 2003, the NAP published results from an online experiment designed to measure cannibalization effects if all reports were given away online in PDF format. The project was developed as a Mellon-funded grant working with the University of Maryland Business School. Researchers interrupted buyers just before finalizing an online order. Participants received an opportunity to acquire the work in PDF for a randomly generated discount of 50%, 10%, 100%, or 70% off list price. If the answer was no, the press offered one more step off the price. The conclusion showed that 42% of customers would take the free PDF when interrupted during print book purchases. This meant 58% of potential purchasers remained willing to pay for printed copies. These numbers produced significant implications for publishing strategies within the context of the NAP's long tail experience. Giving away free access to PDFs for about half the list resulted in only 33% loss of sales over 18 months while enabling 100 times the dissemination.
Through mid-2006, the NAP remained financially self-sustaining even while progressively expanding the utility of its online experience. Online traffic and dissemination increased steadily during this period. Multiple articles and presentations by Barbara Kline Pope provided background on evolving business strategies. Michael Jon Jensen served as director of publishing technologies from 1998 through 2008. He contributed to discussions about free distribution in environments of content abundance. The press implemented Related Titles in 2001 to enhance knowledge discovery. Find More Like This Chapter appeared in 2002 followed by Chapter Skim in 2003. Search Builder and Reference Finder arrived in 2004. Active Skim and enhanced Search Builder were added in 2005. These features helped users navigate vast collections before all content became freely available.
On the 2nd of June 2011, the NAP announced it would provide full text of all reports from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine as free PDF downloads. By the 28th of March 2018, ten thousand books were freely available online for download. By early 2025, twenty-five million PDFs had been downloaded since all reports became accessible without charge. Alphonse MacDonald took over as publisher in June 2020 following Barbara Kline Pope's tenure which ended in September 2017. The organization continues to balance its mission of wide dissemination with financial sustainability through these digital initiatives.
Common questions
What is the mission of the US National Academies Press?
The US National Academies Press must disseminate works as widely as possible while remaining financially self-sustaining through sales. This dual goal has driven decades of experimentation with online publishing models.
When did the National Academy Press first make material available on the Web for free?
In 1993, the entity known as the National Academy Press became the first self-sustaining publisher to make material available on the Web for free. By 1997, one thousand reports were accessible as sequential page images starting with i, then ii, then iii, and continuing onward.
How many PDF downloads had been recorded by early 2025 from the National Academies Press?
By early 2025, twenty-five million PDFs had been downloaded since all reports became accessible without charge. The NAP announced it would provide full text of all reports from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine as free PDF downloads on the 2nd of June 2011.
Who served as director of publishing technologies at the National Academies Press from 1998 through 2008?
Michael Jon Jensen served as director of publishing technologies from 1998 through 2008. He contributed to discussions about free distribution in environments of content abundance during his tenure.
What percentage of customers took a free PDF when interrupted during print book purchases in 2003?
The conclusion showed that 42% of customers would take the free PDF when interrupted during print book purchases. This meant 58% of potential purchasers remained willing to pay for printed copies.
All sources
6 references cited across the entry
- 2webAAUP - Mellon Research ProgramsBarbara Kline Pope — 2003-01-31
- 4journalWidespread use of National Academies consensus reports by the American publicDiana Hicks — February 22, 2022