Reissued June
14, 2010, Originally Issued January 19, 2009
Preamble added June 2010
The
ICOLC is reissuing its Statement on the Global Economic Crisis to update
information providers on the state of library and library consortia budgets in
2010. The updates below reinforce the
ICOLC Statement in three substantial ways.
1.
ICOLC did not
overestimate the severity of cuts to library and library consortia funding
levels in its original Statement. Furthermore,
we believe the worst may still be before us, as
2.
Fifty ICOLC
member groups from around the world have participated in an anonymous survey to
measure 2009 to 2010 price changes from over 30 major vendors and publishers of
electronic databases and journals. This
survey reveals that 38% of the price changes provided price control in the form
of 1% increases or less. Seven percent (7%)
of the price changes provided price reductions.
We wish to commend those suppliers who have worked with libraries and
consortia to contain prices. However, significant
room for improvement remains. Some
suppliers have done a much better job of containing prices than others. We call
upon the full range of suppliers to show price restraint in 2010-2011 to enable
customers to sustain as many information resource licenses as possible.
3.
We take this
opportunity to highlight the added potential negative impact of exclusivity on
prices, as well as access. A new Principle
3 on page 3 of this document expresses the strongly held belief of ICOLC members
that, over the long-term, multiple distribution channels for licensed content
provide the most affordable and suitable options for access across diverse library
communities.
See
the list at the end of this statement for a current list of consortia endorsing
the 2010 Economic Statement and updates.
Original January 2009 Statement:
Written
on behalf of the many library consortia across the world that participate in
the ICOLC, this statement has two purposes.
It is intended to help publishers and other content providers from whom
we license electronic information resources (hereafter simply referred to as
publishers) understand better how the current unique financial crisis affects
the worldwide information community. Its
second purpose is to suggest a range of approaches that we believe are in the
mutual best interest of libraries and the providers of information services.
The ICOLC library consortia
consider the current crisis of such significance that we cannot simply assume
that libraries and publishers share a common perspective about the magnitude of
the crisis and the best approaches to cope with it. ICOLC members have been exchanging
perspectives about how the current economic recession will impact consortia and
their libraries. We make the following
forecasts about the impact of this crisis on libraries and library consortia.
1. We expect significant and widespread cuts in
budget levels for libraries and consortia:
reductions unlike the sporadic or regional episodes experienced from
year to year, with real and permanent reductions to base budgets. It may not be uncommon for library and
consortia budgets to decline by double digits year over year. We have yet to see the full effects, as many
2009 journal and database subscriptions have already been renewed. As of late 2008, many institutions have
declared significant budgets cuts in all areas (content, staff, and operations)
for 2009. Some consortia are
experiencing significant economic impact in the current fiscal year; by
calendar and fiscal 2010, the cuts will be in full force and widespread.
2. These cuts will be prolonged. The public and education sectors will likely
lag in funding recovery. Once funding is
withdrawn over multiple years, it will be years before budgets climb back
toward pre-crisis levels.
3. Exchange rate fluctuations are complicating
and in some cases amplifying the impact.
We encourage publishers to
recognize these fundamentally different circumstances as we work together for
the benefit of all parties. Library
consortia are uniquely positioned to be the most effective and efficient means
to preserve the customer base for publishers and create solutions that provide
the greatest good for the greatest number.
By working together, publishers and consortia can create the most
effective pricing and renewal options and maintain the broadest base of
subscribing libraries and services.
While we cannot be
prescriptive where solutions are concerned, we suggest the following principles
and techniques as likely to be the most effective approaches.
Principle 1:
Flexible pricing that offers customers real options, including the
ability to reduce expenditures without disproportionate loss of content, will
be the most successful. In stable times, standardized pricing and terms may
work relatively well. Today, purchasers
will be under heavy pressure to reduce their outlays and need solutions that
let them do so while continuing to offer as much content and service as
possible. It is in the publisher’s best
interest that we avoid all-or-nothing, take-it-or-leave-it decisions and
options, whose lack of flexibility is likely to result in far greater damage
than is absolutely necessary.
Principle 2:
It is in the best interest of both publishers and consortia to seek
creative solutions that allow licenses to remain as intact as possible, without
major content or access reductions. Content, once discontinued, will be very
difficult to reinstate at a later date. While there may be practical limits to
this principle, publishers, authors, scholars, and libraries will be best
served by those solutions that retain as much access to as much content as
possible.
Principle 3 (added June 2010)
Principle 3:
We encourage publishers to allow their content to be made available
through numerous vendors appropriate for their subject matter. We also
encourage online providers and aggregators to allow their metadata to be
included in emerging discovery layer services on a non-exclusive basis. Multiple access platforms will permit
libraries and consortia to select content and discovery tools that are suitable
and affordable for their constituents. We encourage vendors to provide options
that match the range of needs that libraries have for any particular content as
to degree of importance, currency, interfaces, access, archiving, preservation
and metadata. It is in the common interest of publishers, database vendors,
consortia, libraries and information consumers to work collectively to provide
affordable access to licensed content, while preserving the businesses integral
to our collective success.
With these principles in
mind, we suggest the following approaches:
1. Purchasers
will trade features for price; that is, we
can do without costly new interfaces and features. This is not a time for new products. Marketing efforts for new products will have
only limited effects, if any at all.
Libraries will have few if any resources to invest in new titles or more
content elements. Publishers who work
with the scholarly communities to understand what content is critically needed
will be the most successful.
2. Putting
price first will help all parties, because budget pressures will drive decisions
in a way never seen before. Real price
reductions will be welcomed and can help to sustain relationships through the
hard times.
Even increases at inflation
levels will not be supportable by many groups and libraries. Other approaches and options must be considered
and made available. Some options may be
uniquely created to take advantage of local situations. Therefore:
3. Tailoring
content to need and pricing accordingly can be very helpful. For example, customized approaches that
look to usage patterns as the basis for an adjustment may be equitable for all
parties. In the case of tiered pricing
schedules, applying this flexibly to core content packages in combination with
more affordable pricing for single titles may create another affordable
option. Multiple, creative options are
needed so that library consortia can work with their members to fashion the
optimal purchase level.
4. Multi-year
contracts will be possible only with clear opt-out and/or reduction clauses. As difficult as these clauses can be, the
only alternative for many institutions will be year-to-year (or even shorter
term) licenses. These increase the
administrative overheads for all parties and may encourage further reductions. Additionally, opt-out clauses must as well
recognize the need for a flexible set of reduction techniques that avoid
penalizing customers in either the long or short term.
5. While
annual payments currently are the most prevalent payment schedule for group
licenses, options will be needed for semi-annual or quarterly payment
schedules, in combination with more flexible opt-out/reduction clauses and
renewal cycles. Libraries and
consortia may have very little warning of changes in their budgets. Payment options are a necessary precaution in
light of rapidly changing financial circumstances and expectations.
* * *
In combination, we suggest
these approaches as a way to advance the conversations among libraries,
consortia and publishers, who all hope to preserve existing relationships,
provide as much information to users, and generate as much business as budgets
will allow. We believe our
recommendations provide a solid foundation for the information community,
including the publishers of scholarly information, to go forward together in
these difficult times.
The current situation may in
the long term serve as a catalyst that challenges publishers, scholars and
libraries to create a system that will more efficiently produce and disseminate
the growing output of global scholarship.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THIS
STATEMENT, PLEASE CONTACT:
Faye Abrams, OCUL Projects Officer, Ontario Council of University
Libraries, 416-978-4211, faye.abrams@ocul.on.ca
Ivy Anderson, Director, Collections, California Digital Library,
Diane Costello, Executive Officer, CAUL
(Council of
+61 2 6125 2990, diane.costello@caul.edu.au
Marlene Sue
Heroux, Reference Information Systems Specialist, Massachusetts Board of
Library Commissioners, 617-725-1860 ext. 250, marlene.heroux@state.ma.us
Ed McBride, Chief Member Engagement
Officer, LYRASIS, 404-892-0943 ext. 4864, ed.mcbride@lyrasis.org
Hazel Woodward,
University Librarian and Director of the University Press,
Adopters of This Statement
This statement
is adopted in principle by member representatives of consortia of the
"International Coalition of Library Consortia" (ICOLC) that are
listed below
as of September 6,
2010 (this statement with
updates to this list will be posted periodically to http://www.library.yale.edu/consortia). CAUL (Council of Electronic Resources UNILINC Limited Austrian Academic Consortium (Kooperation
E-Medien Oesterreich) BICfB (Bibliothèque interuniversitaire de la
communauté française de Belgique - Flemish Research Libraries Council (VOWB) The Alberta Library BC Electronic Library Network Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN) Conférence des recteurs et des principaux des
universités du Québec(Conference of Rectors and Principals of Universities of
Quebec) – CREPUQ Council of Council of Prairie and Electronic Health Library of Health Science Information Consortium of OCUL ( Ontario Colleges Library Service Alerta al Conocimiento FinELib COUPERIN (Consortium universitaire des
publications numériques) INIST-CNRS Helmholtz Konsortium Nordrhein-Westfalen-Konsortium HEAL-Link (HELLENIC ACADEMIC LIBRARIES Link) JULAC (Joint Universities Librarians Advisory
Committee) AMICAL (American International Consortium of
Academic Libraries) International IRIS The Consortium of MALMAD – CIPE Conference of the Italian Rectors- Electronic
Resources Working Group Coordinamento Interuniversitario Basi dati
& Editoria in Rete (CIBER) INFER - Italian Forum on Electronic Resources Lebanese Academic Library Consortium (LALC) Lithuanian Research Library Consortium eIFL.net Multi-national Consortium of EPIC (Electronic Purchasing in Collaboration) ABM-utvikling (The Norwegian Archive. Library
and Museum Authority) Norwegian Health Library Consortium, The PFSL ( Fundação para a Computação Ciêntifica Nacional
(FCCN) NEICON Centralna tehniska knjiznica Univerze v
Ljubljani (The Central Technological Library at the COSEC (Consortium of Slovenian Electronic
Collections) SANLiC (South African National Library and
Information Consortium) CSIC Library NETWORK. Spanish National Research
Council CBUC-Consorci de Biblioteques Universitàries
de Catalunya / Consortium of Academic Libraries of Catalonia BIBSAM Consortium of Swiss Academic Libraries CONCERT - CONsortium on Core Electronic
Resources in ANKOS ( TUBITAK ULAKBIM EKUAL JISC Collections Reference Task Group (RTG) of the Co-South Consortium Scottish Confederation of University and
Research Libraries (SCURL) Society of College, National and University
Libraries ALI (Academic Libraries of ALICE (Adventist Library Information
Cooperative) Amigos Library Services Arizona Universities Library Consortium (AULC) Boston Library Consortium, Inc. Califa Library Group CARLI (Consortium of Academic and Research
Libraries in CIC (Committee on Institutional Cooperation) Community College Library Consortium (CCLC) ConnectNY Cooperating Libraries in Consortium (CLIC) DISCUS – Federation of GALILEO Greater Western Library INFOhio - The Information Network for Ohio
Schools LOUIS: The LYRASIS Mid-America Law Library Consortium (MALLCO) Minitex (Library Information Network) Missouri Library Network Corporation (MLNC) MOBIUS Consortium ( NC LIVE NELLCO NERL (NorthEast Research Libraries Consortium) Network of Nylink OhioLINK ( OHIONET OPLIN ( Orbis Cascade PASCAL (Partnership Among Pennsylvania Academic Library Consortium,
Inc. (PALCI) SAALCK (State Assisted Academic Library
Council of South Central Academic Medical Libraries Consortium
(SCAMeL) SCELC, the Statewide Tenn-Share TexShare The Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN) Virtual Academic Library Environment of VIVA (The Virtual Library of WiLS (Wisconsin Library Services) About the International Coalition of
Library Consortia (ICOLC) The International Coalition
of Library Consortia (ICOLC) has been in existence since 1996. The Coalition is an international, informal
group currently comprising approximately 200 library consortia in North and
South America, Europe, More information
about ICOLC can be found at http://www.library.yale.edu/consortia
or contact Tom Sanville, Director of
Licensing and Strategic Partnerships , LYRASIS,