Journal Cancellations 2009: FAQ
Post Review Questions
- How many people submitted responses to the list of cancellation candidates?
- What is the breakdown by department and status of the respondents?
- What criteria did the library use to decide which titles would be cancelled?
Review Questions
- Cancellation project timeline
- What is the deadline for feedback?
- What is the goal of the cancellation?
- Are the cancelled journals print or electronic?
- Target dollar amount of cancellation project
- How can I help?
- Can I donate personal journal copies?
- How are the journals selected for cancellation?
- Why journals?
- What about books and databases?
- Can the library save money if it only purchases electronic journals?
- Will any cancelled journals be brought back?
- When will the cancelled journals stop coming?
- Can I still access past years of cancelled e-Journals?
- How will I get new articles from cancelled journals?
- Has the library done a mass cancellation project before?
- Other library budget reduction measures
- What is an embargo?
- Collection Review Contacts
Post Review Questions
How many people submitted responses to the list of cancellation candidates?
670 individuals from across the UNC community
What is the breakdown by department and status of the respondents?
| Status Name | Total | AHEC | Allied Health | Dentistry | General Public/Other Affiliations | Medicine | Nursing | Other Health Affairs | Other UNC-CH | Pharmacy | Public Health | UNC Hospitals/Health Care System |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faculty | 315 | 18 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 166 | 14 | 4 | 11 | 30 | 48 | 5 |
| Fellows & Post Docs | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 2 |
| Graduate Student | 178 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 115 | 0 |
| Other Status | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Professional Student | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Residents/Housestaff | 38 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 17 |
| Staff | 63 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 18 | 4 |
| Undergradate Student | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals | 670 | 30 | 14 | 15 | 4 | 273 | 26 | 10 | 27 | 44 | 195 | 32 |
What criteria did the library use to decide which titles would be cancelled?
The titles posted for the cancellation review were initially selected due to a high cost per use. We then considered factors to determine if a title should be canceled, including the following:
- Low overall use
- Few or zero respondents rated titles as "Must Keep"
- Lower percentage of respondents gave positive ratings
We also considered factors to determine if a title should be renewed despite meeting the preceding criteria, including the following:
- Title is core for narrow subject/small program, so low use to be expected
- Comments described specific need for teaching, research, etc.
- Need to balance cancellation of other titles in same area
Review Questions
What is the timeline for the journals cancellation project?
Journals must be re-ordered and paid for several months before the beginning of a new subscription year, which usually starts January 1. The review to identify possible cancellations must take place during the spring and early summer months. See the Timeline for more details.
What is the deadline for feedback?
Please submit feedback on cancellation candidates by July 15th.
What is the stated goal of the cancellation project?
The goal is to review and selectively cancel active journal subscriptions in order to meet budget reduction targets, while minimizing impact on users.
Are the journals being considered for cancellation print or electronic journals?
The journals on this list are all electronic, although some are also received in print. If a journal is cancelled as a result of this project, we will no longer have any subscribed access to new content (electronic or print) published after Dec. 2009.
What is the target dollar amount of the spending reduction?
Due to uncertain economic conditions and anticipated budget cuts, the Health Sciences Library has estimated that it will need to reduce the collections budget in FY 2009-2010 by up to $360,000.
What can I do to help?
Participate in this review with your thoughtful feedback. Make your colleagues and students aware of the journals review, and encourage them to participate. Please be aware and accepting of the necessity of this journals review and cancellation project. Join the Friends of the Health Sciences Library to be more involved.
Can I donate a personal journal subscription to the Library?
No - while we are very grateful for the offer, in most cases, this would violate a subscription agreement with the publisher. Libraries pay much higher prices for journal subscriptions than do individuals, on the expectation that many more people will use the library's copy.
How are journal titles being selected for cancellation?
The Library will first identify a list of candidates by these criteria. The journals will then be posted for review and feedback by the UNC community. After a careful examination of both feedback and other factors by the Health Sciences Library, the final list of cancellations will be created.
Why is the Library focusing on cancelling journals?
The Health Sciences Library spends approximately 95% of its acquisitions budget on journals and databases. Journals costs have been increasing between 7%-12% per year. To counteract this trend and achieve reductions in the acquisitions budget, we must look at cutting back on some of the journals we purchase.
Will the Library also spend less on books, media, and databases?
Yes. The Library will be reviewing all areas of collecting to absorb this budget reduction.
Can the Library save money if it purchases only online journals?
Possibly. The Library has already changed most of its journal subscriptions to online only, but some are still received print only, or as a combined print + online subscription. The Library will review these to see if any can be changed to online only and if doing so will save money. Changing a combined print + online subscription to online only will usually yield some savings. Changing a print only subscription to an online only subscription can sometimes be much more expensive.
Will any cancelled journals be brought back?
It is possible that a journal will prove to be missed more than expected - when the Library is again sufficiently funded, full consideration will be given to requests to re-subscribe to previously cancelled journals.
When will the cancellations go into effect?
All or nearly all of the journal cancellations will go into effect in January 1, 2010. This means that access to journal titles slated for cancellation will end in December 2009.
Can I still access the past years/volumes of cancelled e-journals?
For most titles, , we retain online access to the content published while a subscription was in effect, so we will continue to make this content accessible via the library catalog and and in other listings. There are some rare exceptions, however, so the ability to retain online access to past years/ volumes will be considered as one factor among others when making the cancellation decision.
How will I get new articles from cancelled journals?
You may request articles using Interlibrary Loan services.
Has the library previously done a mass cancellation of journals?
Yes, on several occasions. The Library last undertook a mass cancellation project in 2003.
What about other parts of the Library' budget?
The Library is comprehensively reviewing its budget, slowing and freezing hiring, limiting travel, reducing equipment expenditures, and extending existing collaboration with its Triangle partners.
What is an embargo?
Embargoed access is delayed access - you have access to the electronic journal, but not until some set period after the print publication. Typically, this period lasts six to eighteen months.
Whom should I contact at the Library for more information?
For more information or any questions please contact:
Christie Degener, Resources Management Services Head
Susan Swogger, Collections Development Librarian