Trimming the Library Materials Budget: Communication and Preparation as Key Elements

The High Cost of Science Journals: A Case Study and Discussion

“…Journal subscriptions and online databases typically account for a substantial part of the materials budget. Science journals are particularly expensive, especially compared with the price of social science and humanities journals (Cross, 2010: Weir, 2010. Those pricey science subscriptions offer a tempting target for the budgetary axe -especially at smaller universities without a strong science focus.…”

“…In 2009, chemistry, physics and engineering came in as the three most expensive disciplines, with each showing a 40% or more increase in prices since 2006(van Orsdel & Born, 2009). In a case study of actual library subscriptions, Weir (2010) reported that the average cost of science and engineering journals at Murray State University was nearly seven times that of humanities journals ($2,245 versus $339). Weir also reported that the average increase for science journals was 9% annually, compared with 5% for journals in the English department.…”

“…It is widely recommended that cuts to information resources, especially serials, be made strategically, consulting usage statistics and other metrics, impact factors, accreditation requirements, and especially faculty (Throumoulos, 2010, Weir, 2010Derven & Kendlin, 2011). Libraries have a long tradition of employing usage statistics such as the number of times a journal is accessed and/or the number of articles downloaded to evaluate library collections (Rathemacher, 2010), although the challenges and limitations of usage statistics have been often noted (e.g.…”

“…Morrison, 2005;Milman, 2006;Medeiros, 2007;Matlak, 2010;Rathemacher & Vocino, 2010;Stewart, 2011). Weir (2010) advises that developing a strategic plan and effective communication with all resource stakeholders are critical components of any budget reduction process.…”

Journal Combat

“…With library budgets unable to sustain the costs of increasing numbers of journals and increasing journal subscription prices, librarians have looked for ways to limit the number of journal subscriptions. [31][32][33] In 1955, Eugene Garfield, a library scientist and structural linguist from the University of Pennsylvania, had developed a metric that he termed impact factor to select journals for inclusion in his initial publication (Genetics Citation Index, which was the forerunner of his later Science Citation Index). 5,[34][35][36][37] This impact factor number calculated ''based on 2 elements: the numerator, which is the number of citations in the current year to any items published in a journal in the previous 2 years, and the denominator, which is the number of substantive articles (source items) published in the same 2 years'' seemed to be a reasonable measure for librarians navigating through budget crises to use in prioritizing their journal subscription lists.…”