I am not sure that any library is able to turn back the clock and to return to print.  For one thing your users have adopted the e-versions as the version of choice, and as other have said libraries have given up the space for other functions.

Returning to print would only be a short term solution as many publishers are already planning for a e-only world as the print subscriptions are in serious decline.  I don't expect print to last another 5 years with many large publishers.

I think the best solution for now is some form of pay per view.   Several major publishers now offer a token plan where the library can purchase articles at a reduced price.  Wiley offers an interesting plan.  ILL is an slow option.

I think we are going to see more creative solutions to the pay per view option.  Just this week I saw an announcement from CCC about their new Get it Now service.

Get it Now

"Another offering for libraries scheduled to be announced today is a service from the Copyright Clearance Center, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit, called Get It Now. Designed to eliminate inefficiencies in inter-library lending of journal articles, Get It Now allows students who want to read articles from journals to which their libraries do not subscribe to get a digital copy of the article e-mailed to them in minutes, rather than having a librarian send away for a photocopied version from another library.

The old way tended to take 5 to 10 days, says Gerry Hanley, senior director for academic technology services at the California State University chancellor’s office, which has been piloting the service for a year. The new way takes 5 to 10 minutes.

Get It Now essentially allows college libraries to purchase individual articles for students for less than it would cost, on average, to get a copy made and sent from another library. “The service has been a boon to graduate students and faculty who have had access to a greater scope of digital content than what was previously available through licensed content agreements,” Hanley wrote in an e-mail."

If all else fails, I suggest you try negotiating with the publisher.  I have seen many publishers work out special arrangements with libraries that have having unusually difficult budget situations. Often a publisher will go the extra mile to prevent a library from cancelling a title as they know the title might be gone for ever.

Dan

President
Content Strategies

-----Original Message-----
>From: "Geller, Marilyn" <mgeller@LESLEY.EDU>
>Sent: Mar 30, 2011 8:03 AM
>To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
>Subject: [SERIALST] Returning to print?
>
>I know that this is an heretical question and that there will be knee
>jerk reactions ranging from stunned to appalled, but I'm really trying
>to sort out the pros and cons of this issue based on a library-wide
>discussion here.
>
>We have some large publisher package deals that have seen dramatic price
>jumps when the contract needs to be renewed.  Frankly, we don't have the
>money.  It's not a matter of value for dollars; the dollars really
>aren't there (I know we're the only ones in this situation!).  Yesterday
>at a meeting, someone asked what would happen if we just canceled the
>package subscriptions and returned to subscriptions for the individual
>titles we actually want/need.  In several instances, subscriptions to
>individual electronic versions are not available and they are not in any
>databases we subscribe to which means we would have to return to the
>print subscription.
>
>We know we might have holdings gaps.  We know we'll run out of room
>(well, actually, it's a bit too late on that one).  We know we'll be
>limiting access to physically being in the building.  But we also know
>we simply don't have the money, and the publishers in question are not
>willing to lower their prices.
>
>Has anyone returned to print, and if so, with what consequences or
>benefits?  Has anyone thought about this but decided against it, and if
>so, for what reason?  Or does anyone have any thoughts in general to
>contribute on the idea of returning to print?
>
>Thanks for any insights!
>
>Marilyn Geller
>Collection Management Librarian
>Lesley University Library
>29 Everett Street
>Cambridge, MA 02138
>
>Email: mgeller@lesley.edu
>Phone: 617-349-8859