Sustainable Collections

A common question faculty members pose is “What does this mean for me?” The answer can be complex, depending on the discipline and commitments to teaching, research and patient care. So, what do you do if a journal that you rely on is cancelled?

VCU is not alone. Universities and colleges worldwide face the pressures of  annual journal subscription cost increases and lack of flexibility in sustaining their research collections. A growing number of research universities have cancelled or transformed their journal packages. VCU can learn from others’ experiences.

What does it cost to purchase VCU Libraries journal collection? VCU Libraries constantly evaluates costs, use and growth trends for our biggest journal vendor contracts. Together, the dominant publishers represent nearly one third, about $4 million of the collections budget. Explore data on the use of journals included in these contracts and what VCU Libraries pays for them.

VCU Libraries communicates to various stakeholders to build awareness of the many challenges related to sustaining the journals collections. Here is a rundown of previous presentations.