RE: puzzled by self-archiving thread

["Leah Krevit" <leah.krevit@exch.library.tmc.edu>]

>Eventually, we have to pick subscriptions to cancel.  If we 
>don't make our cancellation decisions based on usage and cost, 
>what criteria should we use?  I don't ask that question 
>facetiously -- I'd be honestly interested to know, from a 
>publisher's perspective, what other criteria _would_ make sense.

Rick, we are never happy with simple algorithms around here. No, 
the STM journal world is a complicated place. We not only 
consider use and cost, but impact factors as well. When looking 
at 8,000 in-scope journals which are critical to the research, 
education, and clinical care activities in the biomedical 
environment this library serves, finding titles to cut becomes a 
dangerous activity. So, we gather as much ammunition as we can 
before making those cancellation lists public. Having open access 
journals of high quality now helps ease the pain a bit, but each 
year is more of a nightmare--cut journals? Stop buying books? 
Pray the journal price increase will not exceed 5%? What about 
databases?

Impact factors may not have the "impact" they once did, but they 
are still useful pieces of the overall data picture I have to 
present to faculty and biomedical researchers, who understand 
them.

Happy New Year to all on this wonderful list!!

Leah Krevit, M.L.I.S.
Associate Director
Collections Management
Houston Academy of Medicine -
Texas Medical Center Library
Houston TX 77030-2809
713.799.7126 | 713.799.7180 fax
leah.krevit@exch.library.tmc.edu
http://resource.library.tmc.edu