We looked into a similar question recently following a question
from one of our Schools, and the chief problems were pretty much
what you suspect. Mainly:

1) With a number of publishers' deals being "all-in" packages, we'd
need the backing of a far wider range of academics than just those
in the School which raised the question. University-wide, there isn't
strong support here for abandoning print and in some pockets there
is strongish resistance to electronic formats (!)

2) Journals are not just used by researchers. Are there enough pcs
on campus to allow undergraduates access? And what about "walk-
in" users (particularly any from companies or NHS trusts with
which you have contractual arrangements to provide services)?

And that's before you start talking money. When you do:

3) We made a fairly crude estimate of costs, based on electronic-
only being assumed to be 90% of print unless we knew otherwise.
This might be optimistic as when we *did* know otherwise the cost
tended to be higher (sometimes much higher).On this estimate
model, going electronic-only would have cost us roughly 95% of the
print/hybrid spend and bought us only a year's breathing space
before inflation brought us back to the cancellation threshold.

4) Going electronic-only means you can't fudge the VAT issue in
the way it's sometimes fudged on "free-with-print" electronic
subscriptions, plus you have to add it for what were previosuly VAT-
free print-only titles. Figuring VAT into our calculations made the
electronic-only option cost 105% of the print/hybrid spend.

I think there are arguments for going electronic-only, *if* you've got
the infrastructure and institution-wide support from end-users. But
potential cost-saving is not one of those arguments: under present
pricing/licencing models cost-saving from electronic-only
subscription is a mirage!

Kind regards

Judy Taylor

> Any help/comments/corrections would be welcome.
>
> We're currently asking some departments to cancel some of their
> journals due to budget reductions. We send them a list of the titles
> for which their allocation from the library budget pays for a print
> sub.
>
> Question from one department?
>
> Can they save any money (ie from their allocation) by cancelling any
> of the print subs. and substituting e-only subs.(site-wide)?
>
> My quick reply is to say no, or maybe a little.
>
> This is a list of 38 titles from a variety of publishers. To get
> detailed, accurate information on each title from each publisher would
> be very time-consuming. (Worse if all departments ask the same
> question).
>
> My summary of the situation would be as follows:
>
> Most publishers do not allow e-only subs. If they do, they charge 90%
> or more for e-only. Presumably, VAT must be added on to this figure
> taking the price over the print price?
>
> A straight comparison may be difficult as print subs may already be
> discounted to some extent by suppliers?
>
> If the title is part of a (NESLI) deal that we currently subscribe to,
> then cancellation of the print may affect the whole deal. Ditto any
> future deal that we may be considering for next year. We currently
> only subscribe to the BlacKwell Science NESLI deal.
>
> Of course, on a wider view, there are other considerations - archive
> and continued access, library storage space, staff resources in
> processing printed stock, etc, etc.
>
> The publishers involved are:
>
> Academic Press
> Elsevier Science
> Amer. Ass. of Physics Teachers
> Springer
> Amer Inst Phys.
> EDP Sciences
> Inst of Phys
> Roy Soc of Chem
> Wiley
> Kluwer
> Munksgaard (title is not part of BS deal)
> and various other small physics-related societies/publishers.
>
>
> Can of worms?
>
>
>
> Sandra Morris
> Electronic Information Development Officer
> Hugh Owen Library
> Information Services,
> University of Wales, Aberystwyth,                     Penglais Campus,
> Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 3DZ Email: [log in to unmask] Extension:
> 1892   Phone: (01970) 621892   FAX: (01970) 622404



Judy Taylor
Assistant Librarian
(Periodicals / Academic Liaison)
DUNDEE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
DUNDEE DD1 4HN
tel: extn 5184, external dial 01382-345184