Journal & database cancellation project fiscal year 2021

The Library is facing a 20 percent reduction to our collections budget this year. This reduction is affecting all resource types, including journals, databases, books, and streaming videos. Furthermore, it comes in the broader context of an already-strapped budget. Every year for the past two decades, the Library has received no increase to our acquisitions budget. At the same time, the prices of journals and databases have risen steadily each year. The result has been that the costs for journals and databases have taken up an increasing portion of the budget, and our general supplies and expenses budget has already been largely reallocated to our collections. With this year’s budget reduction, we have no choice but to make some cuts in the area of journals and databases. 

Feedback on journals has been requested through an earlier survey, and departments continue to be informed of decisions that may impact their programs of study. In addition to user feedback, librarians are taking into consideration many other criteria. These include cost, annual increases, recent and historical usage, alternate access, curriculum, license terms, and ability to procure resources from other sources, such as interlibrary loan (ILL). If you missed our earlier survey or want to contribute additional feedback, please use the form below or email Pam Cipkowski at pcipkowski@uwlax.edu or Katherine Fish at kfish@uwlax.edu. 

The Library has received some funds through the CARES Act. These funds are expressly for purchases of new materials that are essential for students and faculty/staff to complete their academic requirements in an online environment. None of these funds may be used for physical items added to the collection or for renewals of existing databases and subscriptions. CARES Act funding has covered the costs of increased streaming video and e-book needs during the pandemic. 

Our intent with the survey was to gather feedback specifically on individual journal titles, but we are also seeking input on databases and other resources as needed. When it comes to our database subscriptions, there are a number of factors that can impact our ability to cancel particular resources: some are in the middle of multi-year agreements, some are included in larger database packages, and some are shared UW System licenses. Multi-disciplinary databases that are currently being considered for cancellation are listed below, and we will continue to add to this list. We encourage you to use the feedback form on this page to share your input on those. We are also contacting individual departments directly about discipline-specific databases that are under consideration for cancellation. 

When we created this survey, we knew that the number of titles considered “high priority” would vary significantly by discipline and individual. For the sake of keeping the data manageable, we chose to limit the number of entries. If you are concerned about the status of other journals you find valuable, please send them to us via the feedback form below or email them to Pam Cipkowski at pcipkowski@uwlax.edu or Katherine Fish at kfish@uwlax.edu. 

We are happy to work with you on creating a list for your department. Please note, though, that coming up with a definitive list of titles for a particular subject area can be a bit complicated. The Library subscribes to hundreds of individual journals and several large journal packages. We also have full-text coverage to over 100,000 journals through our databases. Furthermore, many journals are interdisciplinary in nature. That said, we can still help you with this. Contact Pam Cipkowski at pcipkowski@uwlax.edu with questions. 

Journal cancellations will take effect January 1, 2021. Our database subscription terms vary. End dates for access to any cancelled resources will be communicated on this web page, and database cancellations will also be noted on our A-Z list and in various LibGuides.

Due to the Library’s flat budget over the past several years, we currently have a moratorium on subscribing to additional journals. We understand, though, that programs evolve and that you may need additional resources that align with your classes and your research needs. If you have a journal title to request, please contact Pam Cipkowski at pcipkowski@uwlax.edu to discuss the possibility of a future subscription. 

No, our ability to use ILL will not be impacted by any cancellation decisions—and we encourage you to take full advantage of this service! Login information and instructions can be found here. Typically, articles are procured within a matter of 24-48 hours. While there are costs associated with ILL operations, we are factoring this into our planning.