Task Group / Process: Collections cost reduction 2015

Task group

A Collections Cost Reduction Task Group was formed in February 2015 to oversee the process.

Composition of the Task Group:

  • Associate University Librarian, Collections & Scholarly Communication (Chair)
  • University Librarian (ex-officio)
  • 2 faculty members from the Senate Library Committee
  • 1 student from the Senate Library Committee
  • 2 liaison librarians
  • 1 collections librarian

Members of the Task Group:

  • P. Gallilee (Chair)
  • G. Bird (University Librarian)
  • S. Steele (French)
  • D. Leznoff (Chemistry)
  • A. Pilarinos (Student Rep on Senate Library Committee)
  • M. Bodnar (Liaison, Beedie)
  • J. Thomson (Liaison, Chemistry, Earth Science, Mathematics, Physics, and Statistics & Actuarial Science)
  • M. Crouch (Collections Librarian & Liaison, Health Sciences)

Goal

To review subscriptions and suggest cancellations in order for the Library to plan a balanced Collections budget for the 2015/16 fiscal year. The targeted amount of cancellations is $500,000. 

Principles

  • Maintain access to owned content for which we have perpetual access
  • Maintain an appropriate balance among disciplines and user groups
  • focus reductions on serial resources (journals, databases, etc.); protect already depleted monograph budgets.
  • communicate and consult with stakeholders to increase awareness of the budget pressures that have made reductions necessary and to reduce the relative impact of cancellations in all areas of the academe
  • protect the Special Collections budget at current and projected levels

Strategies

  • Prefer fewer, larger cancellations vs across-the-board cuts
  • Focus on general budget lines (including Big Deal journal bundles) vs departmental allocations
  • Reduce redundancy and overlap in database and indexing tool coverage and content
  • Investigate high cost / low use resources

Timeline 

  • February - form Task Group / determine goal, principles & strategies / set timeline
  • March to mid April - gather information & data to identify potential candidates for cancellation (teams within the Library)
  • Mid April - complete list of resources to consider for cancellation
  • Mid April to late May - communicate with faculty & solicit feedback about resources under consideration for cancellation
  • Late May to early June - analyze and discuss feedback 
  • Mid June - arrive at a final list of cancellations