Libraries Resources Review for FY21
To: Executive Vice Presidents, Chancellors, Vice Presidents, Vice Chancellors, Vice Provosts,
Deans, Directors and Heads of Schools, Divisions, Departments and Offices
From: Beth McNeil, Dean and Esther Ellis Norton Professor of Library Science, Libraries and School of Information Studies
Date: February 25, 2020
Re: Libraries Resources Review for FY21
Each year, Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies negotiates with publishers and vendors to provide access to the research databases and journals that advance Purdue University’s world-changing research and transformative instruction. Unfortunately, the cost of these resources rises by 4-8% annually, far outpacing the rate of inflation and realistic constraints of university budgets. When we negotiate with publishers, we seek contracts that are affordable, sustainable, and transparent, but sometimes publishers insist on significant increases that far exceed available funding. Purdue is not alone in challenging these unsustainable increases- academic libraries of all sizes across the nation face the same reality.
We have dealt with this problem for years, creatively minimizing the impact of subscription cancellations on our faculty and students as we continue good faith negotiations. Two years ago, we cancelled approximately $270,000 in journal and database subscriptions. This past year, through stopgap strategies like curbing book and digital archive purchases, we were able to avoid cancelling more. Unfortunately, to remain within our budget and be good stewards of University funds, fiscal year 2021 will bring with it a large cut to subscription resources, with a goal of cancelling $500,000 - $600,000 worth of subscriptions.
We have conducted a thorough review of our subscription resources and created a list of proposed titles for cancellation. This can be found on our Journal and Database Cancellations Project Libguide, along with a form to provide feedback on the titles, and a helpful FAQ. Your input, as well as that of your faculty, is invaluable as we determine the final cancellation list. Please encourage your faculty to participate. The campus community will have an opportunity to provide feedback through Friday, March 27th, 2020, and the final cancellation list will be posted on our website by the end of April.
We know that cancelling subscription titles creates challenges for our faculty, researchers, and students. Every effort will be made to retain the most heavily used subscriptions. We will help your faculty and students find alternate means of accessing information whenever possible, and encourage the use of services like Interlibrary Loan. We will deliver more articles upon request, in lieu of a reliance on institutional subscriptions. Ownership of these resources may change, but we are committed to ensuring that access will not.
If you or others in your college/school have questions or comments, please direct them to me, Beth McNeil, memcneil@purdue.edu, or Rebecca Richardson, Assistant Dean for Collections and Access, rarichar@purdue.edu.