Library Statement on the Future of Journal Subscriptions
UConn is facing unprecedented budget challenges and based on current projections, the Library is planning for a budget reduction of more than $2 million over the next three years. In order to address this, and given our deep cuts to staffing in the past decade, we must look at our collections spending and in particular journals collections. Journal subscription costs have outpaced available funding and currently account for over 66% of our total collections budget. As a result, we find ourselves confronting the scholarly communication crisis — maintaining a sustainable budget while providing the necessary resources to our academic community. This crisis is not one that UConn faces alone. Libraries nationwide are struggling to keep pace with rising journal subscription costs.
To address this issue, Provost Carl Lejuez and Dean Anne Langley are working with a committee of faculty, students, administrators, and staff to develop a strategic approach to how we can most effectively continue to maintain access to the full range of scholarly research our academic community depends upon. This will include creating sustainable models of providing access to academic research and subscription reductions.
Throughout this process, the Library is committed to upholding its values of providing access to and stewardship of the world of information and will be thoughtful about how our evolving models of access impact the mission of the University. We are looking forward to working with the committee on a response to these challenges that will keep us moving ahead, even in uncertain times.
As more detailed information is known, we will share it with you here. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please reach out to Dean Langley or Associate University Librarian for Collections & Discovery Roxanne Peck.
Future of Journal Subscriptions Committee
Robert Astur, Professor, Department of Psychology
Brian Boecherer, Executive Director, Early College Programs
Thomas Briggs, PhD student, Department of Political Science
Jessica de Perio Wittman, Director/Associate Professor, UConn Law Library
Pamela Diggle, Department Head/Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Stuart Duncan, Director of Fellowship, Outreach, and Programming, The Graduate School
Kevin Fitzgerald, MPA student, Department of Public Policy
Anne Langley, Dean, UConn Library
Carl Lejuez, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Senjie Lin, Professor, Marine Sciences
Ruth Lucas, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing
Kevin McEvoy, Assistant Professor in Residence, Marketing
Grace Morris, Research Development Specialist, InCHIP
Roxanne Peck, AUL for Collections & Discovery, UConn Library
Sylvia Schaefer, Professor, Department of History
Leslie Shor, Associate Dean, School of Engineering
Fiona Somerset, Professor, English/Literatures Cultures and Languages
Katherine Spinnato, Director of Academic Affairs, USG Academic Affairs
Olga Vinogradova, Professor, School of Pharmacy
Sandra Weller, Board of Trustee Professor, Molecular Biology and Biophysics
Lisa Williamson, DMA student, Music Department
Sarah Woulfin, Associate Professor, Educational Leadership
Steven Zinn, Department Head/Professor, Department of Animal Science