** With apologies for cross-posting **

Average Prices of British and USA Academic Books

LISU is pleased to announce that the latest in 
the series of average prices of British and USA 
academic books are soon to be published.

The latest figures from LISU on the average 
prices of academic books show that prices for UK 
sourced titles have fallen in the latest academic 
year to June 2005, but by just 4p, to £41.85. 
Over the last four years, since 2000-01, UK 
academic book prices have risen by an average of 
6.7%, compared to a general UK inflation rate of 
10.2%.

USA academic book prices are increasing rather 
more rapidly than those from the UK, with a rise 
of 2.2% over the last year, and 27% over four 
years, to $67.60. However, changes in the 
dollar-sterling exchange rate have mitigated the 
effects of this rise for UK librarians. Using 
Bank of England figures for the exchange rate on 
the last day of June to convert prices to 
sterling leads to a much lower increase over four 
years of just 6.2%, but an increase in average 
price of 3.3% over the last year.

These broad figures conceal a wide variation 
between subjects, however, both in average prices 
and rates of increase. The LISU reports give 
figures for eight broad subject areas, with 
average UK prices in 2004-05 ranging from £37.86 
in humanities to £62.84 in technology subjects. 
Social science texts record the highest rates of 
increase, at 3% this year, with technology the 
lowest - a fall of almost 9% this year. Data are 
also given for 64 narrower sub-categories to 
enable libraries to match price changes with 
their own collections.

Average prices of British academic books Jan-June 
2005 - paper copy: ISBN 190178696X; ISSN 0261 
0302; price £17.50; CD-ROM: ISBN 1901786986; 
price £20 + VAT; paper copy and CD ROM price £25 
+ VAT.

Average prices of USA academic Books Jan-June 
2005 - paper copy: ISBN 1901786978;
ISSN 0951 8975; price £17.50; CD-ROM: ISBN 
1901786994; price £20 + VAT; paper copy and CD 
ROM price £25 + VAT.

Available from LISU, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leics LE11 3TU
Tel: 01509 635680, Fax: 01509 625699, Email: 
[log in to unmask] and through TeleOrdering.


For further information contact
Claire Creaser, Deputy Director and Senior 
Statistician, LISU, Holywell Park, Loughborough 
University, Loughborough Leics. LE11 3TU. Tel: 
01509 635682,
email: [log in to unmask]

LISU
LISU is a national research and consultancy 
centre which promotes good management practice in 
information, cultural and academic services, 
through publishing appropriate material, 
providing independent advice and support for 
advocacy, and for performance evaluation and 
enhancement. It is based in the Research School 
of Informatics and the Department of Information 
Science at Loughborough University.
-- 
**************************************************************
Dr Sally Maynard
Research Fellow, LISU and
Editor, "New Review of Children's Literature and Librarianship"
Loughborough University
Loughborough
Leicestershire   LE11 3TU

***************************************************************
E-mail: [log in to unmask]

Tel: +44 (0)1509 635689
Fax: +44 (0)1509 635699

http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/dis/lisu