The Florida State University Libraries have announced plans to cancel FSU's comprehensive 'big deal' subscription to Elsevier journals. Instead, the Libraries will subscribe to a subset of most-needed journals, as identified by faculty and usage statistics. This change will take place in January 2019.
In March, the Faculty Senate, at the recommendation of the Senate Library Committee, voted unanimously to endorse this plan. Provost McRorie also strongly supports this move.
The exceptionally high and ever-increasing cost of the Elsevier 'big deal' is seen to have made it unsustainable. Florida State University currently pays just under $2 million a year, and the cost increases by at least four percent annually.
FSU is being charged too much as the result of a poorly thought-out 20-year-old contract between Elsevier and the State University System. Through this contract, UCF pays less than $1M for the exact same product. FIU pays just over a million. USF pays about $1.5 million.
Over the last 8 years, FSU's provosts have tried every possible way to negotiate a reduction to FSU's disproportionately high cost, without success. A partial cancellation seems to be the only remaining option.
Much of the demand for articles will be met seamlessly through individually subscribed titles. For unsubscribed content, access will be available by interlibrary loan delivery to the desktop guaranteed within 24 hours (no cost); or expedited delivery within minutes ($30, subsidised by the library.)
Librarians have been working with faculty during recent weeks to choose the best titles for continued subscriptions. STEM areas are particularly affected. Some disciplines (arts, humanities, law, etc.) much less so.
With some of the savings, they will be able to acquire a variety of other materials that faculty have requested - requests they have had to deny because so much of the budget has been consumed by Elsevier.
Other major research libraries have taken this approach and have been surprised at how well faculty and student needs can be met without the 'big deal' subscription.
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