ACQNET: Budget Disaster response summary (long)

Date:  Fri, 10 Mar 2006 14:53:09 -0800
From:  Rick Anderson (U of NV-Reno) <rickand_at_unr.edu>
Subject:  Budget Disaster response summary (long)

Thanks very much to all those who responded to my 
question: "What would you do if your materials budget 
were cut by 50%?"  The responses are summarized below; 
first, the top eleven responses all of which were
mentioned multiple times (as indicated within 
parentheses); next the Honorable Mentions, which were 
mentioned once each; last, the Most Whimsical responses.  
My editorial comments are in square brackets.

As I mentioned in my original posting, I'll be 
incorporating this information into a future article 
for  my _Against the Grain_ column.

And to those who may be wondering: no, we haven't 
had a 50% cut in the materials budget at my library.  
But I'm trying to completely rethink the way we do 
collection development here (or whether we should be 
doing collection development at all), and I thought 
that the responses to this question might help me shake 
loose some ideas.  They have for me, and
maybe they'll be helpful to others as well.  

Top 11 Responses
*	Cancel least used or highest cost-per-use 
journals/databases/SOs (x11)
*	Cancel journals/databases least relevant to the 
current curriculum (x7)
*	Cancel format duplications (x6)
*	Cut serials budget itself (which may mean 
invoking budget-out clause for Big Deals) (x6)
*	Cut or eliminate book and/or A/V budget (x5)
*	Start fundraising (x4)
*	Freeze all new purchases (x2)
*	Cut memberships (x2)
*	Cancel all microform (x2)
*	Stop binding (x2)
*	Offer larger vendors a choice between outright 
cancellation and a much lower price (x2) [A vendor 
respondent also mentioned the importance of working with 
vendors in the event of a budget catastrophe]

Honorable mentions
*	Cancel most expensive, even if more heavily used
*	Cancel titles that overlap in focus
*	Cancel those with greatest price hikes in recent years
*	Cancel all subs that duplicate content available 
through consortium
*	Shift money from materials budget to the subsidization of
document delivery
*	Cut Elsevier subscriptions (because it's time for them to have a
"rude awakening")
*	Cancel all subscriptions, then start from scratch with a small
list of essentials
*	Cancel all standing orders, buying future volumes only as needed
*	Cancel all print-only journals [!]
*	Drop popular subscriptions
*	Switch annual subs to every 2 or 3 years
*	Publicize availability of OA titles
*	Stop buying new databases
*	Paperback pref 
*	Establish a PR program to publicize effects of cuts 
[though I'd say that if the effects have to be brought to 
people's attention by means of a PR program, then that may be 
evidence that the cuts were needed]
*	Anonymous: "If the cuts were political, we might 
very well cut the electronic resources to drum up outcries 
and hopefully restore the monies." [I like the way this 
person thinks!]
*	Pressure superiors to negotiate with university administration
*	Get tough with patrons in re lost books, fines, etc.
*	Buy more used books
*	Sell unwanted donations
*	"Carefully examine all invoices for possible double billings,
errors, refunds, delayed pubs, etc."  [!]
*	Lobby for other library money to be redirected to collection
*	More cooperative purchasing with other state institutions

Most Whimsical:
*	Spend more time playing the banjo
*	Quit
*	Apply for Hinari/Agora status 
[EPSCoR status gives you a head start]

----
Rick Anderson
Dir. of Resource Acquisition
University of Nevada, Reno Libraries
(775) 784-6500 x273
rickand_at_unr.edu 





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