The View from the U.K.: The Economic Crisis and Serials Acquisitions on an Offshore Island

Abstract

This article considers the case study of university libraries in the United Kingdom, and their exposure to the effects of the worldwide recession. Exchange rate changes have been a noteworthy aspect of the U.K. situation, with the pound sterling deteriorating markedly against both the Euro and the U.S. Dollar. Examples of the impact of these changes are outlined. The implications of government spending plans over the next few years are also examined. Some possible ways of coping with these changes are explored, including the expansion of shared services, a reduction in the prevalence of publisher bundle subscriptions, and an increase in the impact of open access activity.

Keywords:

• exchange rates
• United Kingdom
• serials expenditure
• shared services
• Big Deals
• open access

Notes

NOTES AND REFERENCES

1. Office for National Statistics, Financial Statistics No 549, January 2008, Table 7.1A, http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_economy/FinStats_Jan08.pdf (accessed October 24, 2009).

2. Office for National Statistics, Gross Domestic Product Preliminary Estimate, 3rd Quarter 2009, Newport: ONS, 2009, http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/gdp1009.pdf (accessed October 24, 2009).

3. Research Information Network, Scholarly Books and Journals at Risk, March 2009, http://www.rin.ac.uk/system/files/attachments/sarah/Scholarly-books-journals-risk-briefing.pdf (accessed October 31, 2009).

4. An article in the Times Higher Education (THE), the U.K. equivalent of the Chronicle of Higher Education, cited the experience of the University of Glasgow among others: Zoe Corbyn, “Journal Subscriptions at Risk as Weak Pound Hits Library Budgets,” Times Higher Education (January 1, 2009) http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=404810 (accessed October 31, 2009).

5. Office for National Statistics, Public Sector Finances, September 2009, (Newport: ONS, 2009), http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/psf1009.pdf (accessed October 31, 2009).

6. International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC), Statement on the Global Economic Crisis and its Impact on Consortial Licenses, January 19, 2009, http://www.library.yale.edu/consortia/icolc-econcrisis-0109.htm (accessed October 31, 2009).

7. Tony Kidd, “Collaboration in Electronic Resource Provision in University Libraries: SHEDL, a Scottish Case Study,” New Review of Academic Librarianship 15, no. 1 (2009): 97–119.

8. See for example the SCONUL Shared Services blog at http://sconulss.blogspot.com/, where electronic resource licensing is among the most popular candidates to become a “shared service.”

9. Research Information Network, E-journals: Their Use, Value and Impact, April 2009, http://www.rin.ac.uk/system/files/attachments/sarah/E-journals-report.pdf (accessed October 31, 2009).

10. Jill Taylor-Roe, “‘To Every Thing There is a Season’: Reflections on the Sustainability of the ‘Big Deal’ in the Current Economic Climate,” Serials 22, no. 2 (2009): 113–121.

11. Ipsos MORI, The Impact of the Economic Recession on University Library and IT Services: Final Report for JISC, SCONUL and UCISA [Universities and Colleges Information Systems Association], September 2009, http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/publications/libsitimpacts.pdf, briefing paper at http://www.jisc.ac.uk/publications/documents/libsitimpactsbp.aspx (both accessed October 31, 2009).

12. ROARMAP (Registry of Open Access Repository Material Archiving Policies), http://www.eprints.org/openaccess/policysignup/ (accessed October 31, 2009).

13. John Houghton, and others, Economic Implications of Alternative Scholarly Publishing Models: Exploring the Costs and Benefits: A Report to the Joint Information Systems Committee, January 2009, http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/publications/rpteconomicoapublishing.pdf (accessed October 31, 2009).

14. Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC), Open Access for UK Research: JISC's Contributions—Summary of Achievements, 19 October 2009, http://www.jisc.ac.uk/publications/documents/openaccesscontributions.aspx (accessed October 31, 2009).