The Libraries on the ten UC campuses and the California Digital Library (CDL) have discontinued their system wide Taylor & Francis journals license in favour of local campus subscriptions effective January 1, 2013. Three important system wide principles were the basis for the decision - achieving sustainable pricing, better aligning cost to value, and maintaining the highest quality journal content possible across a broad range of disciplines.
Clear UC-focused value metrics by subject category combined with a structured, holistic review process encompassing all system wide journal packages were used to inform this decision, which will save the Libraries nearly 45 percent over previously projected costs.
Severe budget challenges combined with continuing escalation in the cost of scholarly journals have required UC Libraries to seek economies in system wide online journal expenditures. Since 2010, one package has been discontinued and several other packages have been scaled back to control costs.
A strategic and holistic approach to journal evaluation was undertaken in 2012 using objective, quantifiable, metrics that took into account multiple vectors of value. Comparisons of quality, utility and cost effectiveness were made across all journal publisher packages that UC licenses, focusing on packages that were up for renewal in 2013.
An overview of this methodology is available in the February 2012 CDLINFO article 'Calculating scholarly journal value through objective metrics.' The evaluation methodology carefully accounted for disciplinary differences to ensure that all disciplines of study at the university would be adequately supported. In addition, UC librarians on all 10 campuses did an extensive review of the Taylor & Francis journals using their subject expertise and knowledge of local library licensing practices.
