May 3, 2005

Colleagues,

The generous assistance of the Provost with one-time funds for FY 2004/2005 has made it possible for us to maintain subscriptions for the current fiscal year.  In addition, the Provost has added $300,000 in recurring funds effective FY 05/06, but an extraordinary rate of inflation, exacerbated by the fall of the dollar, continues to outstrip our available resources by a significant amount. Journal subscriptions in particular continue to inflate at an average rate of 7-9%, depending on the discipline. Over the last 5 years the cumulative rate of inflation on serials has been 36% for US titles and 39% for European titles, far beyond the increase in the Consumer Price Index or library budget allocations in general over the same period. (1)

As many of you know, the Libraries have been evaluating the largest and most costly electronic journal packages subscribed to by the Libraries on behalf of the University.  Last year we began discussions about the then Springer/Kluwer package.  While the data indicated cancellation of the package and re-subscription to selected titles as a sound economic decision, we wished to acquire another year of use data to assist in our analysis and to consult more broadly with the faculty, since appropriate data were not available until late in the last academic year.  Over the past year we have increased the sophistication of our analytical tools, acquired an additional year of use data, and expanded our evaluation of the issues.  Library subject specialists will be talking with department chairs in subject areas directly affected by this project.

During the past year, the corporate relationship of Springer and Kluwer has changed and they have now merged into one company, Springer SBM.  They have a new pricing and access model under development that, at present, sounds exceedingly restrictive.  However, we have no final contract statement on its structure or its allowance for back file archiving.  We do know that the cost will continue to increase at a rate higher than the Consumer Price Index whether we continue in the package or not.

While cancellation of the Springer SBM package effective 2006 appears likely, we do need more information before we make a final decision.  In particular, we want to be clear about your needs, our abilities to meet them, and the nature of the contract to be offered to us, prior to making any decision.  The latter issue of contract elements will not be clear until late June 2005.  In the meantime, we are writing to you as department chair to ask that you share this memo with your faculty and work with the library subject specialist to consider the implications of the expected cancellation.

One of our goals must be to provide appropriate access to journal literature by the most cost effective means possible.  In some cases high local use will require local ownership and access.  In others effective and quick access can be provided via a number of document delivery mechanisms.  Underlying this approach is the need for the evaluation and identification those titles most critical to Notre Dame faculty, graduate students and students presently working at the University.

As we continue this process we are seeking your understanding and comments regarding the Springer SBM package.  Your library subject specialist will call or email you regarding the project and you can then seek further information from them, including information on specific titles.

We realize that your time is short as the end of classes, finals and graduation loom, but we are most grateful for the time that you can spare to talk with your library subject specialist.

http://www.library.nd.edu/directory/public_directory.cgi?page=subjbrowse

Sincerely,

Jennifer Younger, Edward H. Arnold Director of Libraries
Nigel Butterwick, Associate Director for User Services<
Gay Dannelly, Associate Director for Resources and Collections Services
Dan Marmion, Associate Director for Information Systems and Digital Access

c:
Nathan Hatch, Provost
Chris Maziar, Vice President and Associate Provost
Deans:
Carolyn Woo, Mendoza College of Business
Patricia O'Hara, Law School
Mark.W.Roche, Arts and Letters
Frank.Incropera, Engineering
Mike Lykoudis, Architecture
Joseph.P.Marino, Science
Jeffrey.C.Kantor, Vice President, Graduate School
Library Subject Specialists

1.  Van Orsdel, Lee, and Kathleen Born, “Choosing Sides,” Library Journal, April 15, 2005; p. 43-48.