Serial Reduction Process FAQ // Libraries // Mizzou // University of Missouri

Serial Reduction Process FAQ

Why is the library focusing on serials/journals?

Serials/journals make up approximately 80% of our serials and monographs budget. From 1986-2006, the unit cost of serials increased by an average annual rate of 5.3%. In the last year alone, serials increased at a rate of 10.5%. The MU Libraries simply cannot keep pace. For more information click here.

Why can’t the MU Libraries cut other areas of its budget?

There simply isn’t money to cut in other areas. For example, in FY03, the library lost:
- $248,000 in salaries or 15.5 full time positions or 32,240 hours
- $90,000 or 1/4 of our student worker budget
- $156,000 or 1/3 of our Equipment & Expenditures budget (pays for miscellaneous expenditures)
For FY08 the libraries will cut $310,000 for Compete Missouri which will come from the elimination of vacant positions. We anticipate we will have to cut the same amount annually through FY10.
Like many of the budgets on campus, the MU Libraries’ budget is under great stress.

What is the dollar amount for the serials reduction project?

How will the libraries decide what to cut?

Regardless of the method used, the input of the library liaisons in each department on campus will be vital to this project. The liaisons talk to their respective departments and to the selectors. If you don’t know who your library liaison is, please contact the selector/subject librarian for your department.

Can the MU Libraries save money by canceling print copies of journals and subscribing to electronic copies?

We cancel print copies to subscribe to electronic ones when it is economically feasible to do so.

Can I appeal a decision to cancel a journal?

You will be able to review the list of proposed journal cancellations. If a department decides to cancel a title important to you, you may remove it from the list. However, your department, in conjunction with your subject librarian, will have to cancel an equal dollar amount from your list.

Can I donate a personal subscription of a journal to the libraries?

The MU Libraries appreciates the generosity of the offer. However, most journal publishers set different prices for personal and institutional subscriptions. Receiving a personal subscription in the libraries would violate your subscription agreement.

Who can I contact in the libraries for more information or to express my concerns?

You may contact your subject librarian at any time with questions. If you don’t know who your librarian is, please check this list. You may also contact Ann Riley, Interim Director of the MU Libraries, for overall concerns.

Why are serials such a problem?

The price of journals continues to rise faster than inflation. According to data collected by the Association of Research Libraries, from 1986-2006, serial unit cost increased 180%. For the same period, the CPI increased 84%. For 1986-2007, the MU Libraries materials budget increased 134%. However, to have kept pace with inflation for serials and monographs during those years, the materials budget would have had to increase 287% (assuming 7% inflation for all materials), or $8,203,936 as opposed to our actual budget of $4,961,939.
But the problem is more than just a issue of serial prices. Journal publishers are buying out other publishers and creating new titles. Faculty are required to sign over copyright permission to the publisher. Libraries are asked to buy journals in electronic formats -which isn’t necessarily cheaper- and to maintain subsciptions to paper copies. Libraries often have to sign large package deals, e.g. all Elsevier titles, to get the “best” price. For more information, please visit our webpage on “Scholarly Communication”.

How can I get access to titles once they have been cancelled?

Articles and other documents that are required but no longer subscribed to at MU will still be available through Interlibrary Loan (ILL@MU). This service is free to MU faculty, staff, and students. In most cases, articles will be delivered directly to your desktop.

What can I do to help?

Work with your subject librarian to identify titles to cancel. Try to select not only those titles whose cancellation will do the least harm, but also keep in mind those titles which may available via document delivery.
Know the institutional price of those journals in which you publish.
Support efforts by professional associations and other groups to identify sustainable and affordable ways to distribute scholarly information.
Insist on quality, not quantity, as the benchmark of scholarly excellence.
Consider the publisher’s behavior, e.g. pricing, copyright policy, before either submitting for publication or agreeing to serve on an editorial board.
Be sure to read your publisher’s copyright release before you sign it; you may find that you cannot offer online or print access to your own articles without prior permission.