Facing the Serials Crisis Changing budget allocations in a time of uncertainty Larry Schmidt University of Wyoming ASEE Annual Conference 2004 Session 3241 The University of Wyoming 12,021 Undergraduate students 2,229 Graduate Students Land Grant Institution State’s only provider of baccalaureate and graduate education, research and outreach services. College of Engineering 1198 Undergraduate Engineering students 179 Graduate Students 79 Engineering Faculty & Academic Professionals Engineering Departments at the University of Wyoming Civil & Architectural Engineering Chemical Engineering Computer Science Electrical & Computer Engineering Mechanical Engineering Atmospheric Science* The University of Wyoming Libraries Collection Development Process Department allocations Combined serial & monograph budgets Originally used factor-based allocation system History-based decisions became the norm Liaison-based system of communication The Need for Change What is the cause of the budget crisis at the UW? Library working with a flat budget Serial inflation greater than the consumer price index Allocations based on “history plus increment” Allocations as “faculty money” Problems with the current system Books Book budgets cannibalized by serials costs Subsequent book budgets were dependent on one time funding Dated collection Faculty book requests in support of classes were often unfilled. Serials Continued serials cuts by all departments Budgets of most departments went only to serials Some departments were unable to purchase society packages. Engineering Serials Breakdown Other publications 7% FY 2003 Major society publications 29% Major commercial publications 64% Serial Costs for 2003 Cost in dollars Cost comparison of commercial and society publications at UW $50,000 $40,000 $30,000 $20,000 $10,000 $0 il v i C . l al al a S c c c r i i i r an ct ute em h e h p l c C E m Me Co Society publications Engineering Department Commercial publications Electrical Engineering The Catalyst For Change Electrical Engineering was unable to purchase core material NO set budget for any purchase of books Society package cost would soon exceed their available allocation IEEE package cost, the original budget allocation and the total serial costs from FY 2002 - 2004 $50,000 $45,000 $40,000 $35,000 $30,000 $25,000 $20,000 $15,000 $10,000 $5,000 $0 2002 2003 2004 Year IEEE package cost Original allocation Total serial cost Other problems with the current budget system in engineering Focus on journals supporting individual research Undergraduate book collection is suffering Collection is dated and incomplete Most current FE Exam study guide available in the library is 1990 Book & Serial Purchases for FY 2003 Allocation Budget Chemical Engineering FY 2003 Books Serials $950 $40,835 Civil Engineering $0 $66,648 Computer Science $0 $45,500 Electrical Engineering $0 $41,662 Mechanical Engineering $6,680 $62,640 Total Engineering $7,630 $253,039 Deciding on a new system More opportunities to purchase books Allow for greater purchasing power for package deals Support undergraduate education Support graduate and faculty research Process for Change Evaluate current databases & article indexes and costs associated with them Evaluate engineering society packages Analyze the high cost of commercial press journals – publicize inflation history Analyze usage statistics and impact factors Communication across the college Collapsed Allocation Concept Budget for all engineering serials and books in one allocation College of Engineering and University priorities determine purchases of serials and books Proposed Engineering Allocation Flow Chart Association Packages Undergraduate Collections (primarily serials) (primarily books) Approval plan University publications 2nd Tier Associations Alternative press (SPARC) Interdisciplinary Serials Purchase requests I. Support instruction II. Support interdisciplinary research Document Delivery General engineering (approval plan) (engineering account)) Periodicals in support of research Books in support of research Serials Formats ILL Document Delivery Print only Print & electronic only Electronic only First Year Results Over $11,000 in book purchases Canceled high priced journals with low usage statistics Increased purchasing power with move to electronic only packages Transferred some packages and titles to the protected core account Successes Greater flexibility for changes in curriculum Shift away from faculty perception that department allocations were “theirs” Improved communication Between engineering departments Between College of Engineering and UW Libraries The Process Today Working on a “do more with less” philosophy The University of Wyoming Libraries allocation process is still evolving. Engineering faculty still willing to work with me Conclusion Process has prepared engineering for an uncertain future Communication between engineering faculty and the Libraries is strong Faculty are much more aware of the publishing process and are expressing their desire to force change in that process.