Ad.

'

Eke Chronicle of Higher Education + June 8, 1988

‘Scholarship

 

+ rd EM eB R SES ee

 

US. Research Libraries Search for Ways to Combat
Spiraling Subscription: Costs of Scholarly Journals

Prices rose 18.2 per cent in 1986-87, study finds; a

By JUDITH AXLER TURNER

Responding to complaints that publish-
ers of scholarly journals arc ‘engaging -in
“price gouging’’ and “‘profitecring,”’ the
Association of Research Librarics has de-
cided to explore alternative publishing. ar-
rangements, including the possibility ‘of
having small American ‘publishers . begin
new journals. o.com ete with: the ‘major
journal publisher. * ‘ 23
: “AL the sameé.tin colleges and universi-
ties are, culling: back.on subscriptions and
exploring ways to cut costs by sharing sub-

"..Scriptions among themselves.

The moves come’on the heels of a study
by the association that found a median rise
of 18.2 per cent in journal prices in 1986-
87—with the greatest increases coming
from a small number of publishers.

Librarians point out that more and more
journals—especially those priced over
$200 a year—come from fewer and fewer
publishers, most of them overseas. Al-
though the drop in the value of the dollar
has hurt libraries, librarians say that sub-
scription prices have risen far more than is
warranted by the changing exchange rate.

“If the major scientific and technical
journals are published by a limited number
of publishers, they have a kind of monopo-
ly,” says Jeffrey J. Gardner, director of
the association's Office of Management
Services. ‘‘We need to work with other
publishers and university presses to begin

wztions,
“base,

to produce journals in direct competition
with some of the ones we think are so over-
priced.:’

-The association will look at options this
summer as part of a study of journal pric-
ing:The study, to be done by professional
economists, will determine the effects on
subscription ‘prices of currency fluctua-
i flation,
Sand? more pages.
changes in those areas. force prices up.

The holdings and expenditures of major
research libraries in the United States and
Canada are listed on Page A6.

 

Many librarians believe, however, that
publishers are simply trying to charge as
much as the market will bear.

Publishers, they say, realize they have a
caplive audience, Librarians cite a line
from a Ictter sent by one publisher to his
company’s stockholders: ‘Historically, li-
brarics have been concerned with the qual-
ity of the contents of journals, with the
price being of lesser importance."*

Part of the problem, says Michacl A.
Keller, associate university library for col-

-lection development at Yale University, is

academe itself, which often rewards facul-

ty members for the number of articles they.

have published, rather than for the quality
of the articles. :

a smaller: subscription-.. : |
“Publishers Says"

few publishers account for most of the increase

Mr. Keller hopes to rouge librarians to
urge scholars to reevaluate tenure and pro-
motion policies that depend on the number
of articles they publish. ‘‘The meaning of
‘contribution to knowledge’ now has finan-
cial implications-to the whole communi-
ty,” he says.

Yale is one of the universities interested
in supporting electronic publishing—the
distribution of scholarly articles over com-
puter networks, Mr. Keller says. “The
prices of journals are so high that if we can
cul the publishers out, we should do so,”
he adds.

The Research Libraries Group, a con-
sortium of 37 librarics, has polled its mem-
bers to find out which ones subscribe to
what publications, and whether they in-
tend to continue those subscriptions, as a
first step in a cooperative effort to develop
their collections.

Librarics will then be able to cancel sub-
scriptions with the knowledge that a jour-
nal is available elsewhere through inter-
library loans.

Nine universities in the Midwest are also
exploring the possibility of sharing their

journal collections so cach can subscribe

to fewer publications,

In Canada, institutions arc banding to-
gether to try to work out bulk-purchase
arrangements with foreign publishers. Li-
brarics there must cope with a devalued

Continued on Page Ab

 
ou,:,

dias Gorgpicie Ae § fupuer Laucauon
. ee

* june o, 1y00

Libraries Seek Ways to Combat Rising Journal Costs

Continued from Page Ad

Canadian dollar. Peter L. Freeman,
chicf librarian at the University of Al-
bertn, points out that Canadian li-

brarics, st pay North American
sii prices, which are set in
U.S. S. The dollar currently is
valued about 20 per cent higher than

its Canadian counterpart,

Dollar’s Drop Is a Factor

Subscriptions to journals range
from under $50 a year to more than
$8,000 for Chem Abstracts, an index

of chemistry journals. Publications in --

cost the most, In part becnuse the
developments in (hose ficlds occur so
rapidly that scientists and cngincers
are dependent on journals—rather
than books, with their slower publi-
cation cycles—to keep up, and so are
more willing to pay higher prices.

Prices have been rising for several
years, but they jumped sharply last
year because of the drop in the value
of the dollar. Most of the high-priced
journals are published overseas.

For example, subscriptions to
Brain Research went from $2,871 in
1986 to $3,826 in 1987; Verlag Che-

1987; und Synthetic Metuls went
from $232.50 in 1985 to $850 in 1987.
All are published abroad,

Some Subscriptions Canceled

Not only are subscription-price in-
creases out of line with the,dollar’s
declinc, say librarians, but’ North
American subscribers arc charged

far morc than other subscribers, even’ ."
“have some ;90,000_ subscriptions—

taking postage charges into account.

The Journal of Plasma Physics costs”

$80 in England, where itis published,
and $195 in the United States. World
Economy costs $42 in England .but

The most recent comprehensive
study, in 1984, put the average differ-
ential between European and North
American subscription prices at 67
per cent,

To redress the balance between
spending on books and journals, li-
brarics are canccling subscriptions.

= The librarics at the University of

‘Mlinois at Urbana-Champaign saved

$166,000 last year by culling sub-
scriptions to 1,383 journals in its col-
Iections. -The university's libraries

few of them duplicates after a mass
cancellation ‘several years back: to
hold down costs. The engineering li-
brary alone cut 161 journals from the

Dewi oiip

™ The University of Califomia at
Berkeley ran $300,000 over its $2.5-
million budget in 1987, and cut the
number of xerlalx to which I xub-
scribes by about 10 per cent.

= Cornell and Stanford Universi-
tics canceled subscriptions last year
when cach was faced with possible
$600,000 overruns in its library-mate-
rials budget.

™ The library at the University of
Wyoming has asked academic de-
parimeats to help cut oul up to 10 per
cent of the periodicals subscriptions
to offset increased prices.

“It's a war of attrition,” says Rich-
ard L. Dougherty, director of the li-
brary at the University of Michigan,
“Eventually everybody will lose.”

* $100 in the United States... nearly 1,200 in its collections.

science and. engincering typically _ mie increased prices 61:1 per cent in

University librari es

Total
expenditures?

. $34,792,739

Total
expenditures®

$ 6,152,360
7,158,730
7,362,963
8,225,474
7,552,081

7,957,247
7,772,439
7,921,184
7,181,127

Volumes -
- In Ubeary

* 2,225,572
1,950,400 .

1,778,915

= 2,065,334

> 1,646,482

+ 1,863,224
.2,549,057
1,576,560
2,146,136

Total
staff

1,030

_ Volumes Current

added

Volumes
In Hbeary

11,284,170

stat

198
246
207
243
241

300
222
243
204

added

58,435
$7,135,
55,450"
$1,046
57,499

63,582
47,245
$3,251
58,140

Rank!

Harvard U. . 1
U. of California

at Los Angeles ....... vd
U. of California

at Berkeley

U. of South Carolina...
Southern Illinois U..
U. of Delaware ..
Brown U. “
York U. (Ontario)? .

232,559

730 29,428,949

§,625,521 -” .: 257,027

99,065

56,412
93,913
49,780

206,181

160,953
193,407
167,055

756

679
547
621

26,998,169

21,855,300
15,346,678
25,852,247

-18,598

17,847
13,876
16,487
13,755

7,031,934

8,391,707
7,190,443
§,598,363

Brigham Young U

U. of Rochester.

U. of Miami .

U. of Colorado

Virginia: Polytechnic
Institute and State U..

U, of Illinois

Stanford U.?......
U, of Texas... 5,753,629 179,838 79,772 577 16,258,070

U. of Toronto 5,563,396 186,408 38,922 727 20,374,225
ee

Cornell Ais 2 -= kesh -. ses 4,818,377 136,220 58,722 $32 17,517,507
Columbia U... §,625,925 121,276 42,779. 624 20,008,645
U. of Washingto: 4,658,911 158,790 $5,590 471 16,041,230
U. of Wisconsin .. 4,713,250 101,202 50,607 494 17,253,866
U. of Minnesota 4,382,696 112,850 38,630 428 17,881,544

4,865,137 © 113,277 $3,214 336 13,424,913
3,414,643 118,308 44,797 409 13,967,683
2,888,342 145,074 29,080 460 14,895,629
4,169,610 109,546 31,762 455° 15,397,844
3,961,415 109,948 33,140 380 13,762,225

3,239,055 104,623 31,423 366 11,607,837
2,604,601 93,871 56,149 383 10,609,060
3,591,197 92,215 34,452 319 11,398,777
2,407,696 114,490 19,041 46S 15,664,381
3,442,389 85,949 28,435 372 12,599,830

2,159,570 86,492 $0,004 324 12,608,628
2,920,175 72,755 32,493 367 13,978.558
2,902,823 102,177 23,489 341 13,258,591
2,215,376 122,690 31,366 351 11,436,506
2,639,439 88,131 22,833 419 11,893,424

2,658,752 93,512 21,422 | 11,785,086
3,270,365 | 60,511 32,304 10,650,409
* 2,605,601" 79,610 **: . 29,512
2,464,152 $7,372 33,071
2,670,600 78,204 20,177

2,839,825 89,049, ., 26,986
2,620,805 70,925 25,745
2,390,943 62,640 18,262
2,431,942 86,578 19,175
1,656,510 83,642 21,756

205

204
2i1
182
206
232

160
183
236
224
223

207

1,893,757

1,708,592
1,765,633 ©
1,664,647
1,533,271
1,646,550

1,794,564
1,682,
1,667,720

50,541

55,895
60,452
58,869
64,747 =
58,866

57,460
$4,497
45,718

20,040

20,244
20,536
20,414
15,000
14,348

15,671
15,480
17,699
15,373
15,560

21,098

7,394,904

6,449,772
6,408,666
6,438,581
$.925,791
6,814,662

6,234,615
6,552,253
6,657,342
7,219,187
6,164,613

6,773,071

lowa State U.

U. of Oregon...
Gartmouth C...
U. of Waterloo?

 

U. of Chicago
U. of North Carolina....
Pennsylvania State U.?..
Ohio State U.
Princeton U. .

U. of Notre Dame
Tulane U.>. :
Florida State U.?........ ,
North Carolina State U.. 82 1,201,552 56,661
Queen's U, al Kingston .. 82 1,672,271 40,470
——_
Washington State U. 84 *~ 1,492,864 38,511
State U, of New York. " tus *
al Stony Brook.......°" 85;
U. of Oklahoma ........ 86"
Georgia Institute on ;
of Technology ¥ 1,532,193 * 68,582 28,805 112 4,154,159
Pili wih socelne 2’ 5 /nleteetatahra SEES cho dae IO Petes ot OR oo) «0 EER BIS 5 ne i
U. of Tennessee ........ 87. °'*:1,587,838 39,653 14,372. 232 $,909,115
U. of Houston «ee, 69. -1,526,291 41,561 22,911 173 5,945,170
U. of California 4 ee. +
at Riverside
McMastor U.

U, of Arizona.

VU. ‘orgia?

ie) ee

R U. 3 .

U. of Ponnsylvania

 

-45,382
43,371

1,566,698 -
~ 2.192.100

216
198

12,331
17,417

7,268,991
5,745,844

U. of California at Davis

Now York U. 24
U. of Virginia. . -v (26
Arizona State U: pa vevdapinet
U, of British Columbia . 28

U. of Alberta?
Northwostorn U,

U. of Florida .
U. of Southorn Callforr ia?
Johns Hopkins VU.

"55,394
47,942

13,615
11,198

179
193

237
155
176

-- 1,303,872 7:
1,258,534

"1,431,307
:,. 1,706,238
1,693,117

6,629,959
6,466,524

6,241,521
4,487,507
5,244,022

401
356
404
385
369

259
292
324
320
321

J. of Manhtoba .,
U. of Guolph ..
U. of Alabama
State U. of Now York
at Albany>...... nice’

Case Western Reserve U.
U. of Saskatchewan ....
U. of Now Moxlico .

Kont Stato U

34,692
71,628
40,867

12,020
10,219
17,389

12,685,650
10,631,473

9,829,362
10,197,931
10,982,859
10,397,545
10,934,347

 

* 45,233 -

35,812 -,
‘48,877
35,190
30,133
34,261

31,601
115,003
135,011

82,076

47,935

1,194,962.

1,512,133 7 :
#.1,300,773 *-
1,276,809
1,638,383
1,103,752

1,440,780
3,881,945
6,019,919

” 2,741,834
1,323,470

U. OF VOWS. eects cenes
U, of Kansas .
McGill U,
. Michigan State U.
U, of Maryland...

U, of California
at San Diego x
Howard U. . 1,618,259 “** "83,680 26,775
; U. of Hawall.. 2,164,497» 77, ys 32,989
Massachusatts Instituto . ; ' oa
of Technology 2,062,818 54, 498 21,296

Wayne State U.?.. 2,179,666 61,745. 5 23,774

Syracuse U 2,217,231, * 64,083 * } "21,244
U. of Massachusolls 2,199,402 71,030 is ** 15,954 °-

* 1,622,396... $4,674) + ..,3.29,177

2,270,617 61,895 23,327

1,723,660. 69,746; * |, 17,661
1,895,089 60,069 19,375
1,613,442 °°" 66,530 21,035 1:1
1,581,754" 55,650 --1 19,588"!
2,074,443 65,403 21,349

2,006,423 58,707 +, 18,383

16,399

+° 13,654
10,092
10,669

7,349
12,018

10,101
33,975
67,115
* 23,098
11,721

174 5,735,900 *

5,884,392
5.619.647
6,522,692
6,377,416
4,959,475

4,322,554
12,935,746
18,851,310
11,162,154

4,826,953

 

174
174
240
183
139

164
$21
S48
332
145

316
262
220

1,810,844 74,428 20,273 11,967,176

10,045,835
8,035,702

Oklahoma Stato VU.

Indiana U

U. of Michigan

J. of Pitisburgh .

Rice U.

State U. of New York
at Buffalo

275

255
LY
236
278
279

31
304
285
297
225

248

9,292,380

9,868,092
7,677,311
9,825,395
6,990,001
8,095,082

9,022,614
7,563,768
9,149,465
10,519,089
8,701,223

9,061,297

2,436,454 72,120 24,085 277 9,352,679

Non-unaversity libraries

Volumes
In tbrary

5,806,895

" Texas A&M U

- U. of Western Ontario ..
‘ Georgetown U.

» U. of Cincinnatl .

* U. of Connecticut

Total
expenditures?

$24,191,531

Current
sorials

16,049

Volumes
added

Boston Pubile Library 239,516
Canada Institute for Scientific
and Technical Information,
Ottawa, Ontario?
Center for Research Libraries,
Chicago
Library of Congress,
Washingon
Linda Hall Library,
Kansas Cily, Mo. ...........+
National Agricultural Library,
Beltsville, Md.?
NavWonal Library of Canada,
Ottawa, Ontario
National Library of Mod
‘ 4 ‘ Bothosda, Md.
Note; Inatitutlons are asked lo report figures for thelr maln campusos only, unioss a branch campus is indicated,
‘Based on an Index developed by the Association of Rosearch Libraries to moasure the rolative size of university
‘Mbraries. The Index takes Into account the number of volumes held, number of volumes addod, number of curront
: sarlals, total expenditures, and size of stall, Five Instliutions choso not to have thor index figure calculated; thoy
"appear at the end of the list of university libraries,
Figures for Canadian libraries are expressed In U.S. dollars,
Includes branches as well as the main Institution,
Data not available, .

2,074,181 90,717 31,250 17,657,644

U, of California
at Santa Barbara..... 54 1,806,039 -
U. of Kentucky .. 55 ' 2,043,393 .
$5 1,746,862

1,595,553 ~

2,120,974

1,711,774
«+ 1,952,593

62,203
54,674
63,237

57,785 -
49,487,
56,985
63,939 -
53,129
68,400
59,785

15,600
20,759
20,884

14,142
17,884
18,098 256
16,296 266
17,407 249
"17,369 224
23,511 206

239
266
265

270
228

10,376,881
8,282,161
7,350,599

8,466,612
8,793,639
6,588,061
7,128,893
6,441,179
9,838,430
6,429,384

2,661,183 30,711 13,836 2,851,632

 

U. of Laval $7 ied 275,530,000
Washington U. (Mo 57
Vanderbilt U. .... 59
Temple U... a OO
U. ob Missour 61 +. 2,365,235 .-
U. ifornia at Irvine 62 , 1,306,730 ,
U 1,889,500 *

17,800 2,834,686

 

11,098,000

24,729,639

Nowborry Library, .412,1 616 t 4 78
New York Public Library,
New York
Now York Stato Library,
Afbany, PUY; thinness saccys «
Smithsonian Institution,
Washington?

5,512
460

2,009,402 7,408,001

we $,176,626

 

SOURCE: ASSOCIATION OF KESMARCH LIBRARIES