The Academic Library in the 21st Century:

a UW Libraries Perspective

Tim JewellDirector, Information Resources and

Scholarly Communication

John’s Questions• What is the academic library today?• What forces are shaping its future?– What control do libraries have?– How do we plan for the future?– How do UW Libraries think about content?– How do we make economically responsible

decisions about access to content?

John’s Hypotheses• Attitudes/practices based on info scarcity– Now in era of info abundance

• May not be able to predict collection’s value to users

• Can’t afford to build collections by title

Research Library Expenditure Trends

UW Context• Complex, 3-campus system serving wide range

of research, teaching (biomed to int’l studies)• UW: 79% Serials/21% Monograph• Shift to e-access (UW @ ~55%) w/licenses• UW budget cuts and UW Libraries– 13.5% reduction (1.5% rescission + 12% cut)– Branch libraries closed, staff reductions, etc.– Materials budget cuts (~20% purch. power loss)

• WorldCat Local pilot

UW Open Access Week Sessions• Journal publishing access and economics• Author rights• Future of the monograph• Future of access to scholarly publications– Web 2.0 developments a game changer?– Many new publishing options– New types of information need support

Libraries Strategic Planning Themes• Continuing Resource Challenges– Space, staffing, collections funding

• Contributions under-recognized• Collection development “overhead” problem• New liaisonship service models reshape roles– Educational/curriculum partnerships– E-science, data curation– Repository, publishing, copyright support

UW and Serials Market Trends• Strong demand for online access to current and

back issues• “Aggregator” databases (EBSCO et al.)– Content “instability” has to be assumed

• Publisher mergers and acquisitions– Journal “bundling”; e-prices not tied to print

• Pushback on journal pricing– Library consortia– NIH Mandate, FRPAA, etc.– UW Faculty Senate Resolution

Complex Serials Review Process• Phase One– Reduction targets set, subscription lists generated– Departments contacted, cancellation lists identified

• Phase Two– Publisher negotiations, cancellation implications for “bundles”

assessed

• For both, supplemental data made available:• Article downloads, cost per use• ISI Impact Factor, Eigenfactor• UW-authored publications & citations in published work

Estimating value of bundles: 2008

Serials Cancellation Results• ~ 500 print only cancelled but e-access kept• ~ 1500 Journals to be cancelled – ~1200 “full” cancellations (print + online)– ~300 e-journals cancelled

• Springer/Kluwer e-journals– Loss of Access to ~1100 “bundled” journals

• Elsevier and Wiley/Blackwell?• Some cancellations vetoed to keep bundles• Explicit tie to ILL business plan needed

Book Purchasing Trends & Issues• UW to buy ~11,500 fewer books this year• University presses at risk• E-book development– Mass digitization (Google Books, etc.)– Kindle, other readers in the news• Digital rights management , loaning logistics issues

– Platforms and business model evolution– Bundling and “serialization” problem

Evolving (Print) Book Buying Strategies• Open options to users– WorldCat Local and ILL

• More collaborative/coordinated buying– 3 campuses, Orbis Cascade Alliance

• Become more data driven– Demand/user-driven buying (ILL purchase pilot)– More focus on usage/circulation data

• Rationalize (reduce “transaction costs”)

UW Ebook Buying Experience• netLibrary , ebrary, other platforms• Historical (EEBO, ECCO, etc.)• E-reference (Gale , Oxford Reference, etc.)• IT, technical (Safari, Knovel, Engnetbase)• Specialty academic (CIAO, Cognet, ACLS Ebook

project)• “Bundles” (Springer Math/Stat)

Toward a Balanced Ebook Strategy• Coordinated book/e-book approval plans– UW and Orbis Cascade Alliance

• User-driven purchase models– University of Texas model and variations

• Assess ebook readers & licensing issues– UW e-textbook pilot, other options

• Google Book Settlement/Hathi Trust– Await developments, path forward?

Emerging UW “Digital Directions”• Special Collections projects (ContentDM, Dspace)• ResearchWorks (UW Dspace repository)– ETD program– OA article harvesting, other content recruitment

• Open Journal Systems (OJS) support– Slovene Studies backfile

• UW Press Collaboration– Develop supporting web exhibits/collections– Digitize UW author backlist, make available to campus?

• E-science support, “data curation”