Serial cuts and interlibrary loan: filling the gaps

Abstract

The Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC) Library, which is a member of the Association of Research Libraries with holdings exceeding 2,000,000 volumes and current serial subscriptions numbering more than 14,000, intended to serve a constituency of 25,000 graduate and undergraduate students and 5,000 faculty and staff. Documents how in fiscal year 1990, financial exigency resulted in the cancellation of 1,241 serial titles at the library for a saving of US$233,322.80. Describes how a review of the titles cancelled revealed a high percentage of international subscriptions; thus a major concern of librarians and local scholars was the potential impact that these cancellations might have on the availability of these materials for research. Shows how the SIUC interlibrary loan (ILL) staff has attempted to make the cuts reasonably transparent to the user by tapping traditional and non‐traditional sources to fill the requests produced by these cuts; such that in 1993 ILL made a commitment to integrate document delivery (UnCover, British Library Document Supply Centre, UMI and others) into its standard routines. Assesses the full impact of the cuts four years after the cancellation project. Examines the impact of the 1990 serials cancellations on ILL and the ILL response. Analyses ILL serial requests for the cancelled titles generated during a six‐month period in 1994, looking at availability through document delivery suppliers, cost of acquiring the articles, turnaround times and impact of ILL workload.

Effects of the Economic Downturn on Academic Libraries in the UK: Positions and Projections in Mid-2009

“…Bryson (1999), Fishwick (1986 and Kilpatrick and Preece (1996) agree that LIS are vulnerable to variations in exchange and inflation rates, evidenced by price rises at present being amplified by the declining value of the pound sterling (Greco et al, 2007; Scholarly Communications Report, 2008;Taylor-Roe, 2009). Another niche problem is the value added tax (VAT) charge on all electronic resources in the UK (Taylor-Roe, 2000).…”

“…This is a serious issue for LIS in HE as serials expenditure is a major proportion (60-80%) of their materials budget and is a continuous budgetary commitment (Greco et al, 2007;Taylor-Roe, 2000). The high cost of serials can lead to decisions to cancel subscriptions (Kilpatrick and Preece, 1996).…”

“…This is a serious issue for LIS in HE as serials expenditure is a major proportion (60-80%) of their materials budget and is a continuous budgetary commitment (Greco et al, 2007;Taylor-Roe, 2000). The high cost of serials can lead to decisions to cancel subscriptions (Kilpatrick and Preece, 1996).There is a set of niche factors that increases the vulnerability of LIS. Bryson (1999), Fishwick (1986 and Kilpatrick and Preece (1996) agree that LIS are vulnerable to variations in exchange and inflation rates, evidenced by price rises at present being amplified by the declining value of the pound sterling (Greco et al, 2007; Scholarly Communications Report, 2008;Taylor-Roe, 2009).…”

“…The high cost of serials can lead to decisions to cancel subscriptions (Kilpatrick and Preece, 1996).…”

Is ILL Enough? Examining ILL Demand After Journal Cancellations at Three North Carolina Universities

“…Edward Warner's 1981 study showed that faculty considered ILL an effective method for cost control combined with access to content. Studies throughout the 1990s repeatedly showed that journal cancellation projects resulted in negligible increase in ILL demand both shortly after the cancellations and in the long term (Crump & Freund, 1995;Kilpatrick & Preece, 1996;Wilson & Alexander, 1999). No recent research was found, but anecdotal evidence suggests that increased ILL demand remains a concern when undertaking journal cancellation projects.…”