About ICOLC and the ICOLC Statement on the Global Economic Crisis and Its Impact on Consortial Licenses

The International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC) and its role in library consortial approaches to content acquisition is briefly explained. A copy of its most recent statement on the global economic crisis and the resulting implications for libraries’ budgets is also provided

Unwrapping the Bundle: An Examination of Research Libraries and the "Big Deal"

This study presents and analyzes the findings of a 2012 survey of member libraries belonging to the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) on publishers' large journal bundles and compares the results to earlier surveys. The data illuminate five research questions: market penetration, journal bundle construction, collection format shifts, pricing models, and license terms. The structure of the product is still immature, particularly in defining content and developing sustainable pricing models. The typical "bundle" is something less than the full publisher’s list. Neither market studies nor market forces have produced a sustainable new strategy for pricing and selling e-journals. Finally, a complex history of managing license terms is revealed in the data.Association of Research LibrariesPublisher allows immediate open acces

World and National Trends in University Libraries Acquisition

Introduction. We investigated the problem of comparative analysis of the world and national trends of development of information support of the university research and education and position of Russia in the world academic community. Materials and Methods. We analyzed international and national surveys with data processing methods. Materials comprise results of the latest survey of the Publishers Communication Group, initial data of annual surveys conducted by Russian National electronic information consortium and the data of the surveys conducted by the Ministry of education and science of the Russian Federation in 2016 and 2017. Results. More than 90 % of world and Russian universities report of acquisition of scholarly resources via university consortia, 75 % of university funds are spent on periodicals. All peer groups demonstrate gradual migration to e-resources. In 2016, e-resources comprised 91 % of total acquisition expenses and e-books – 63 % of book acquisition. In Russia, more than 85 % of expenses on scholarly information belong to universities. From 2006 to 2014 average annual expenses on e-resources in Russian universities increased, however since the 2014, due to the economic crisis one can see shrinking of library expenses. This leads to a decrease in a number of acquired resources. Acquisition budgets of Russian leading universities (group 1) exceed budgets of non-leading universities (group 2) by ten times. In 2015, Russian universities spent 57 % of their acquisition budgets on the Elsevier databases. Discussion and Conclusions. Information support at Russian and world universities show common trends and features. The data on the e-resource expenses can be used as indicator of research activity in Russian institutions. It can also affect the information providers and scholarly journal publishers in development of the marketing, subscription and pricing policy in Russia

Tough Economic Times Call for More Library Cooperation: Report on a Wyoming and Colorado Alliance Conference

On April 10, 2009, the Alliance, a consortium of academic, public and special libraries in Colorado and Wyoming, convened a conference on “Cooperation: How to Thrive Despite Reduced Funding.” Drawing on the expertise of national and state leaders in the fields of education and economics, conference participants heard from two keynote speakers about the changing environment of libraries and educational institutions. Referencing these changes, then, various local librarians explored ways collaboratively to advance library resources and services. An overview of these conference presentations perhaps may help libraries and their partners in other regions of the United States and elsewhere gain insight into possible collaborative strategies that sustain library development in difficult economic times

La rentabilidad de las revistas electrónicas. El caso de Emerald en la Universidad de León

La rentabilidad de la información electrónica supone la interrelación entre cantidad y calidad de los contenidos ofertados, consumo realizado y coste. Se estudian los datos de descargas globales y por títulos de las revistas electrónicas distribuidas por Emerald en la Universidad de León entre los años 2005-2009. Partiendo de las estadísticas de uso global en este período, se analiza la evolución del consumo, su concentración y dispersión. Asimismo, identificando los títulos más descargados se comparan con las suscripciones que han conformado la colección en papel de la ULE y se indaga en su reputación o FI (Factor de Impacto). Se valora la eficiencia y la rentabilidad de la inversión relacionando las variables de uso de los contenidos y precio del paquete

An Examination of Lending Fees at Thirty Academic Libraries in the Southeast

Current fiscal shortfalls are projected to bring deep and long lasting budget cuts to libraries. With every budget dollar under close scrutiny, the urgency of filling patron information needs efficiently and costeffectively increases. Interlibrary loan plays an important role in filling in gaps in library collections, yet as significant budget cuts are made at libraries of all sizes, materials will be available from fewer and fewer lenders. Libraries unable to find items from those with whom they have reciprocal arrangements will be will be forced to use lenders who charge. This article examines fees associated with interlibrary lending in 30 academic libraries in the southeast from 1995 and 2008

La rentabilidad de la información electrónica. Análisis del uso de suministradores multidisciplinares en la Universidad de León

La rentabilidad de la información electrónica supone la interrelación entre cantidad y calidad de los contenidos ofertados, consumo realizado y coste. Se estudian los datos de descargas globales y por títulos de las revistas electrónicas distribuidas por Science, SpringerLink y Wiley en la Universidad de León entre los años 2005-2009. Partiendo de las estadísticas de uso global en este período, se analiza la evolución del consumo, su concentración y dispersión. Se valora la eficiencia y la rentabilidad de la inversión relacionando las variables de uso de los contenidos y precio del paquet