Can't the library find the money from elsewhere in its budget?

The University Libraries spends almost two-thirds of their materials budget on serials -- close to the national average for research libraries. Some libraries have spared journals by cutting back on books, but Marriott has successfully protected the book budget almost every year as we believe most patrons want books to remain an important part of our collection. We rank 25 out of the 115 members of the Association of Research Libraries on the amount spent on materials per teaching faculty member, 39 of 115 in the amount spent per student.
Marriott has cut and reorganized jobs. The proposed building renovation would be paid for by state bonds, not by the library's annual operating budget.

Why doesn't the library just go to electronic journals? Aren't they free or less expensive?

We already provide online access to 17,263 journals, but publishers rarely offer scholarly journals – whether print or electronic – for free. In some instances, if the Library owns a print subscription, the publisher allows free electronic access to the current issues of the title. Frequently the library must pay an additional fee for online access.
A few publishers do offer online-only subscriptions at a slight discount, but our users and librarians have been cautious about relinquishing paper copies as backups. However, when we renewed for 2004 we switched some subscriptions to online-only if we didn't have to pay much more and if we feel it will not compromise necessary future access.

Some of these are inexpensive. Why bother?

Beyond the cost of the subscription, it costs money to process and store material. We get requests to start inexpensive subscriptions. We'd like to say yes to things which people say they would use and we can do that by canceling things which it appears people don't much use.

Can I help by bringing issues from my personal subscription to the library?

We appreciate the good intentions of people who are thoughtful enough to consider donating materials to us, but such gifts have limited practical value. Publishers may impose legal or contractual restrictions; for example:
"To keep member rates inexpensive and to ensure price stability of ASCE journals, it is essential that members agree not to forward personal subscriptions to libraries and reading rooms dor at least 24 months after publication of the last issue of the calendar year." American Society of Civil Engineers.

How will I get the articles I need from the journals the library cancelled?

Our Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Service can provide you with copies of articles from journals not held at Marriott. This includes getting copies from journals at Eccles Health Sciences Library and Quinney Law Library since we are trying to reduce duplicate subscriptions on campus.
ILL receives many compliments on its willing service and they are continually improving delivery time by using new technologies. Don't be shy about requesting items. You can do so online. These days many articles are delivered electronically.

Is there anything faculty members can do to help?

There are several ways in which faculty and other concerned individuals can assist libraries in addressing this problem:

a. Get involved with your library. Work with your subject librarian to make sure that the journals we take are a good investment.

b. Give extra consideration to where you publish your papers. Look at the cost of the journals when you submit your papers for publication or are asked to review or serve on an editorial board. Consider what the publisher asks you to do with your copyright. Support efforts like SPARC which are working to create ways to bring top quality research to a greater audience at a low cost. Be open to new ways of doing things.

c. For a discussion of many of these issues

- Create Change - advice to faculty

- SPARC Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition

- price trends

- an April 2004 list of major university cancellation plans in a newsletter devoted to open access issues

Adopted ,with permission, from Merrill Library, Utah State University.
bc 9-2000, last rev. 4-2004