I M PA C T O F J O U R N A L C A N C E L L AT I O N S O N I N T E R L I B R A R Y L O A N D E M A N D
Rachel Fleming, Serials Librarian, Western Carolina UniversityKristin Calvert, Electronic Resources Librarian , Western Carolina University
North Carolina Serials Conference, March 15, 2013
Agenda
State of Literature on the Impact of Journal Cancellation on Interlibrary Loan Demand
WCU Budget Reduction and Serials Cancellation
Factors influencing Interlibrary Loan Demand
Interlibrary Loan Demand for Cancelled Titles – One Year Out
Implications and Discussion
Literature Review
Early Studies: 1980 University of North Dakota Study
As early as 1980, 100% of faculty in most departments were willing to rely on ILL for marginally important titles.
1995 University of Florida Study Cut 1,377 “marginal” titles, determined by collection
managers Over next five quarters, 38 requests for 24 cancelled journals 5 of these titles had more than one request, total requests for
cancelled titles represented 0.2% of total loan requests. Caveats: no undergraduate ILL Study concludes that the low level of requests validates the
review criteria
Literature Review
Early Studies (cont’d) 1996 Southern Illinois University – Carbondale Study
Cancelled 1241 titles in Spring 1990 based on: importance, price, inflation rate
Reviewed ILL January – June 1994 124 requests from 58 of the cancelled journals 30 titles with only one request
1999 Texas A&M Study 3095 titles cancelled 1990-1996 Reviewed titles with ≥ 5 requests May 1995 – June 1997 506 requests from 44 cancelled titles (1.4% of cancelled titles) Based on subscription prices, ILL remained cost effective
Literature Review
Recent Research
Literature Review
Research Themes Low number of requests validates our cancellations Low number of requests indicates low “real” need for
titles Availability of titles through ILL Cooperative cancellations (keeping a subscription in the
state) Cancellations result in collections that are more core
(duplicated across institutions), with fewer unique subscriptions
That was then…
WCU Background
Budget Reduction of approximately $350,000 at WCU
Cancellation of 799 subscriptionsReviewed subscriptions based on criteria:
Available through aggregator databases Multiple formats High cost-per-use Low Use Connection to Curricula Database review (overlap)
Profile of Cancelled Subscriptions
Electronic Journals
Print Journals
Total
Available in databases to the current issue
22 3% 287 36%
309 39%
Available in databases with an embargo period
27 3% 64 8% 91 11%
Not otherwise available
22 3% 112 14% 134 17%
Standing Orders 163 20%Microforms 92 12%Databases 10 1%
Factors Influencing ILL Demand
Duplicate formats
Cancelled titles with online availability
Cancelled titles with low use
Cancelled titles which had marginal connection to WCU curricula
Additional Full-Text availability through NC Live Subscriptions
Concerns about ILL Demand
Timeliness: High turnaround times for article requests cited as a concern during cancellation discussions
Capacity: Small ILL departmentLimited student worker budget
“Real” DemandHow will ILL demand compare with current
demand
Observed Demand
Article requests increased 11% in 2012
Root cause uncertain General fluctuations in demand Serials cancellations Implementation of EBSCO Discovery Service
Our Data
ILLiad Web Reports >Borrowing reports >Journals received
Threshold set to 0 requests For calendar years 2010, 2011, and 2012.
Spreadsheet of collection review cancellations Journal title Format Database/online availability
Compared lists to match journal titles by hand
Our Data, cont.
ILL total article borrowing in 2012 1,816 journal titles 2,089 total requests Avg. 1.13 requests per journal
ILL for Cancelled Journal Titles in 2012 626 journal cancellations 50 article requests from 29 journals (4.6% of
cancellations) 22 journals retained some online access
Avg. 1.74 requests per journal
Demand for Cancelled Journals
1977 1982 1987 1992 1997 2002 2007 20120
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Series1
Requests by Date of Publication
Article Requests per Journal
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 802468
101214161820
Community College Journal of Research and Practice(Taylor & Francis)
Community College Journal of Research and Practice
Taylor & Francis title cancelled because of online availability
Journal subsequently removed from aggregator by the publisher
Aggregator drops monitored, but not automatically picked back up
Resubscribed to this title at subject selector’s request
Excluding this title: average requests per journal down from 1.74 to 1.5
Initial Conclusions
Caution: long publisher grace period for e-journals after cancellation—some active until April.
High demand for current articles most likely due to embargoed online access.
Prevalence of single requests per journal suggests low “real” demand for individual journals.
These requests do not account for the entire 11% increase in article borrowing in 2012. Some other factors in play.
Can we be sure demand actually due to cancellation?
Historical Comparisons
First request More requests
Same number
Fewer requests
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18 Reviewed requests
for cancelled journals in the 2 year period prior to cancellation.
Noted whether the number of requests had changed relative to previous years.
Further Comparisons
High demand journals Overall 9 most requested titles during 2010-2012 5 with fewer requests in 2012 4 with more requests in 2012 Conclusion: no predictive ILL trend (up or down), title-
dependent
Current Subscriptions 9 print & 9 online journals Zero requests in 2012 Conclusion: ILL demand for subscribed titles neglible
Implications & Discussion
Negligible impact on our ILL borrowing.
Do we care about lending?
What is the impact of lending rules for e-journals?
Do we need last copy rules to preserve unique holdings?
Is WCU’s experience similar to yours?
Additional data from other institutions may be valuable.
Bibliography
Chadwell, F. A. (2012). What's Next for Collection Management and Managers?: Assessing the Value of Collection Services. Collection Management, 37(2), 58-64. doi:10.1080/01462679.2012.664482
Chrzastowski, T., & Schmidt, K. (1997). 1994 LAPT research award: The serials cancellation crisis: National trends in academic library serial collections. Library Acquisitions: Practice And Theory, 21 431-443. doi:10.1016/S0364-6408(97)00071-9
Crump, M. J., & Freund, L. (1995). Serials cancellations and interlibrary loan: The link and what it reveals. Serials Review, 21(2), 29. doi:10.1016/0098-7913(95)90028-4
Thomas L., K., & Barbara G., P. (1996). Serial cuts and interlibrary loan: filling the gaps. Interlending & Document Supply, 24(1), 12.
Warner, E. S. (1981). The Impact of Interlibrary Access to Periodicals on Subscription Continuation/ Cancellation Decision Making. Journal Of The American Society For Information Science, 32(2), 93-95.
Wilson, M., & Alexander, W. (1999). Automated Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery Data Applications for Serials Collection Development. Serials Review, 25(4) 11-19. doi:10.1016/S0098-7913(99)00043-X
