From: Tony Goodwyn <tonywgoodwyn@yahoo.com>
To: SERIALST
Subject: Journal Price Increases
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 09:19:39 -0700 (PDT)

Hello again,

I wanted to post this LISnews.com item in case anyone missed it.  It links to
the latest story about journal price increases and the effects they have on
academic library budgets.  I've also appended a few thoughts and questions I had
about it from my latest blog entry (which also links to the story).  I'd
appreciate any thoughts or responses.

Best,
Tony

*************from LISnews************

    GeekLib writes "As publishers hike journal prices like the oil magnates hike
gas prices, more libraries are faced with the decision of what to cancel, or
face running into a deficit. Do we cancel print and keep online? Can we do that?
How will this impact the patrons? Tough questions to ask, and harder still to
answer as states cut funding to higher education institutions. Worse, the
patrons notice the cut as well.

You can find the whole story here:
Libraries Cut Back
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060403/NEWS0104/604030355
and more commentary on it here:
http://librarianwench.blogspot.com/

*************from my blog************

I know the continual escalation of journal prices in the academic world
pre-dates my relatively new arrival on the library scene, but I think one of the
most frustrating characteristics of this topic is that there seems to be little
that can be done about it.  This story about U of Kentucky and their journal
budget woes is undoubtedly the latest in a long line of reports on the problems
these price inflations are hurting library budgets and causing deep cuts, both
in their funds and the quality of educational resources and information they can
provide their patrons.  Unfortunately, I have yet to see much in the way of
articulated strategies for combating or responding effectively to these hikes.
  Honestly, what can libraries do to fix this situation?  Find a way to
stonewall publishers price increases?  I haven't seen a particularly effective
example of this, so if that's the route we plan to go, we need to seriously
re-work our approach.  Find a way to keep pace with the price increases?  Good
luck!  Even creative solutions like Open Access and institutional repositories
seem to only be contributing so far in alleviating the situation.
  Libraries are charged with bringing their patrons the resources they need.
Many publishers, it seems, are almost directly opposing these efforts with price
increases well above the rate of inflation.  We HAVE to find a way to deal with
this, and soon.  I don't pretend to be a genius about this sort of thing,
though, so I'm asking what others may have in mind.

Tony Goodwyn
Serials/Electronic Access Librarian
St. Olaf College
Northfield, MN 55057