[Web4lib] Results from The Survey of Academic & Research Library Journal Purchasing Practices

[primarydat at aol.com]

Primary Research Group has published:  The Survey of Academic & Research Library Journal Purchasing Practices (ISBN: 1-57440-108-4).  The 182-page study presents data about the journals acquisitions and management practices of an international sample of academic and research libraries.  The study reports on a broad range of issues, including: spending trends, use of print vs. electronic access, purchases in “bundles”, purchases through consortia, the role of subscription agents, use and plans for use of open access, attitudes towards the pricing practices of a range of major journal publishers, sources of funding for journal purchases and relations with academic and administrative departments of library parent organizations, and the practical management of the journal acquisition process, among other issues. 

 

Just a few of the report’s many findings are that:

 


The libraries in the sample acquired a mean of more than 46% of their journal subscriptions in bundles of more then 50 titles.


 


The libraries in sample canceled a mean of 53 journal titles in the past year.


 


Mean spending on print edition only subscriptions was $130,721, less than a sixth of total spending.


 


About a quarter of the libraries in the sample believe that open access has already slowed the increase in journal prices.


 


15.56% of the libraries in the sample have paid a publication fee on behalf of an author from their institution.


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For 42.22% of the libraries in the sample, all new subscriptions to journals include electronic access.


 


More than 64% of the libraries in the sample keep track of their various journal subscriptions through use of a commercial software product.  


 


In general, subscription agents seem to enjoy a relatively high level of customer satisfaction.  On the issue of timeliness of service, none of the libraries in the sample said that they were highly dissatisfied with their subscription agent and only 2.22% said that they were dissatisfied.


 


Non-academic research libraries have done more than their academic counterparts to make sure that contracts renew at the same time. Smaller institutions, those with journal budgets of less than $100,000 per year, were less likely to make such efforts than libraries with higher budgets. 


 

For further information view our website at www.PrimaryResearch.com.