TO: All Faculty
FROM: George W. Shipman University Librarian
SUBJECT: Cancellation of Journals
In 1995/96, the Library and the University Library Committee (ULC) considered the effects of double-digit inflation on the library's budget, and a decision was made to eliminate $500,000 from our subscription costs over three years. That winter, the faculty identified titles which could be cancelled. Approximately $200,000 was cut. Because legislative funding for library materials was increased during the following biennium, we were able to keep the remaining subscriptions for longer than we anticipated. Unfortunately, the current budget situation and ongoing inflation have made it impossible for us to continue to subscribe to these titles. So we must complete the project that was started four years ago, which means that the Library must cancel approximately $300,000 in journal subscriptions this year.
The target amounts for each department will remain the same. These amounts were determined by the ULC in conjunction with library faculty. They were based on our experience with inflation rates for journals in the sciences, social sciences, and the humanities.
The process we intend to follow will be similar to past cancellation projects. Faculty will have ample opportunity to review the entire list of journal subscriptions for their department, as well as the list of titles previously identified for cancellation. The lists will be sent out to departmental representatives in early January. Departments should complete the lists by early March, and the cancellation process will begin in the spring.
Once again, this is a regrettable situation, but we hope the collaborative process will preserve those journals that are most important to the University. To end on a positive note, we continue to make progress on alternative methods of accessing scholarly information. Improved resource sharing, cooperative subscriptions, electronic subscriptions, and collaborative projects among universities and learned societies offer more acceptable solutions to coping with the rising costs of academic journals.