The University of Western Ontario Library System in London, Canada has
just completed its fifth and largest serials cancellation project yet.
This time we cancelled 1,156 periodicals and standing orders worth
$467,198 Canadian ($1 Cdn = $1.27 U.S.).  We have now put in place
serials/monograph dependency ratios by discipline and within broad
guidelines each of the seven libraries in the System must stay
reasonably within the ratios agreed upon for that library.  While it
may not eliminate the need for further cuts, it does mean that
lower-cost serials libraries are no longer feeling that they are
subsidizing exorbitant serials costs in science, medicine, and
technology.  With the weakening U.S. dollar, many of our American
colleagues are now learning what Canadian libraries have long
experienced: the added losses due to currency exchange rates.  On the
premise that misery loves company, I would like to learn of serials
cancellation projects at other large research libraries.

John S. Clouston
Coordinator: Collections Management
University of Western Ontario Library System
London, Canada, N6A 3K7
E-mail: john.clouston@uwo.ca