Subject: Budget Disaster response summary (long)
From: Rick Anderson <rickand_at_unr.edu>
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
Received on Tue Mar 21 2006 - 02:25:36 EST