2018 Charleston Library Conference

Session co-authored by Georgie Donovan, Associate Dean for Collections and Content Services  at William and Mary Libraries, who was unable to attend the conference. 
In negotiating journal pricing, the disadvantages libraries face are well documented. Diminishing library budgets, vendor consolidation, an ever-expanding availability of e-resources, and rising inflationary costs have created chronic, unsustainable subscription pricing. Pricing issues are exacerbated by traditional negotiations, where libraries begin negotiations based on the offers made by publishers and vendors. Big package deals, while lowering the costs per article and expanding access to research resources, have conversely increased overall costs, which disproportionately consume library budgets, and fenced off large swaths of content from cancellation. Frustratingly, when attempting to break from all-encompassing access models, institutions find publishers offering a smaller number of titles for only slightly, if any, less money. When this is coupled with the loss of researcher access, and the increased staffing needed to manage individual subscriptions, the issues are clear.

Potentially sustainable pathways are emerging, including Open Access and read/publish models. Although not yet able to meet all needs, they hold the most promise for a scholarship ecosystem that more fairly accounts for publication costs, the contributions of the academy, and the public good. And although libraries are ready to make a leap now, there are real long-term institutional trust and communication risks to not providing researchers access to the materials these deals currently provide, however unsustainable.

This presentation details the efforts of a task force within VIVA (Virginia’s academic library consortium) to create a bridge-solution between the current acquisition model and the future vision of its members. Using data analysis, existing models, and the power of the collective, this radical consortial approach allows for both flexibility and sustainability. Most importantly, it frees up member institutions to establish distinctive collections, while creating the necessary space, to make significant progress on the conversion to Open Access.