Serials Review 2009  Tags: serials journals periodicals cancellation review  

September 25, 2009

TO:        Deans, Associate Deans, Department Chairs, Library Liaisons            

FROM:  Noelle Chesley, Asst. Professor, Sociology, Co-Chair, University Library Committee

 Lindsay McHenry, Asst. Professor, Geosciences, Co-Chair, University Library Committee

   Ewa Barczyk, Director, UWM Libraries

RE:        Final list of serial title cancellations

The final list of serial titles to be canceled is available on the Libraries’ website at:

http://guides.library.uwm.edu/serialreview2009

The cancellations include over 1000 titles with annual subscription costs of more than $380,000. However, over 700 of these titles are accessible in full-text through a variety of databases. The cuts were primarily focused on print formats (with a few microform titles). The last major review occurred in 2003 when we cancelled 906 subscriptions in the amount of $340,000.  These cancellations become more difficult each time for all concerned. As a reminder, this current round of cuts was mainly due to ongoing serial inflation averaging 8-10% per annum, as well as a flat acquisitions budget.

In spite of deep cuts, we provide access to a number of databases thanks to student funding support, Friends of the Library fundraising efforts, internal reallocations, DPI (Department of Instruction) supported resources and consortial agreements with other UW System libraries. These initiatives plus careful management of our acquisitions budget result in access to more than 50,000 serial titles in electronic and other formats (including print). 

Faculty involvement in the current cancellation project was invaluable and greatly appreciated.  We will be working with the schools and colleges to clarify priorities and identify needs.

In addition, we will continue to provide rapid document delivery and interlibrary loan service (ILL) to all journals not owned by the Libraries.  The University Libraries Committee has been consulted throughout this process and provided a faculty perspective as well as suggestions for reaching out to all faculty, which we have done.

Thank you for your continued assistance with these very difficult choices facing us.

August 7, 2009

TO:       Deans, Dept Chairs, Library Liaisons            

FROM:  Ewa Barczyk

              Director, UWM Libraries

The list of serials titles proposed for cancellation is now available for viewing on the Libraries website:

http://guides.library.uwm.edu/serialreview2009

These titles were identified after analyzing cost information, usage statistics and rankings provided by faculty and in-house subject specialists. Attempts were made to spread the cuts equitably across disciplines, insofar as possible, so that the burden would be shared.

Please review these proposed titles and send any requests for reconsideration by September 15. We will consider suggestions for reinstatement, but please accompany these with identification of alternative titles to cancel within your disciplines. 

Please share with your colleagues and direct any responses as soon as possible, but no later than September 15, to Janet Padway at:

lib-ser2009@uwm.edu

We will post the final list of titles as soon after September 15 as possible when we have considered all comments. We must notify our vendor of titles to cancel for the calendar year 2010 by September 30. Unfortunately, we have no flexibility on this deadline thus once the final list is posted, these titles will be cancelled.

The list of 876 proposed cancellations represents about 13.5%, or $340,000, of the Libraries’ total serials budget. The last major review occurred in 2003 when we cancelled 906 subscriptions in the amount of $340,000. Ongoing serial inflation averaging 8-10% per annum, as well as a flat budget, necessitates this latest round of serial cancellations.

We recognize that that supporting new schools, degrees and research areas requires new resources that we are not able to provide but we will continue to provide access through other means such as interlibrary loan and document delivery. In spite of these deep cuts, we have been able to provide additional access to a number of databases thanks to student funding support, Friends of the Library fundraising efforts, internal reallocations, DPI supported resources and consortial agreements with Madison. A number of the journals on the cancellation list are also included in some of these databases.

Thank you for your continued assistance with this very difficult project.