We keep track of data about our journals in an access database (title, holdings, missing issues, cost, statistics, department, etc)  We do most of our renewals through EBSCONET.  They sent us a renewal list in June.  July 1 is when we get new budgets for the fiscal year, so after July 1 our director, assistant director, and myself (head of Serials) meet.  We first look for journals that have had a pattern or zero or few uses around 3 years.  It's possible a journal could not be used much one year due to a class not being offered that year, so we would try not to cancel a title based on low use for one year.  Also sometime a faculty member requested a journal in the past, and that faculty is no longer here and the contents are not being taught.  When we add journals, I've started keeping track of the faculty member who requested it.

We sometimes mark journals as watch, which means we're on the edge about cancelling it but will look at the statistics next year to decide.  We also look at if we have access to the journal through our database subscriptions.  The more access, the more likely we would cancel it.  If it's only present in one database, for example, the vendor could remove the journal at any time.  Throughout the year, we receive a few faculty suggestions for new subscriptions, and we consider adding them at this time.

We take the list of potential cancellations and contact faculty liaisons when they meet with their departments shortly before fall semester.   Often they are OK with cancelling, but sometimes they'll let us know that with program changes, they anticipate using a title that had low use.

We have until the end of September to make a decision.  Then we get our invoice in November, and the subscriptions are cancelled or added starting January.