Belk Library and Information Commons

E-resources (journals and databases) account for more than 80 percent of the information budget. The library has extensive data on the use of these resources. Use data was compared with the price of a resource to determine the cost-per-use. A "use" is defined as the ultimate product of the database, e.g., full-text download or citation set retrieved. That unit data was then compared to many other factors including: the size of the University population using a resource, the overlap with other resources, the pricing differences between academic disciplines, discussions with faculty, and the ability to acquire information in other ways. A guiding principle was to attempt to distribute the impact across all areas of study. Resources with a high cost per use and/or a high absolute cost were most strongly examined.

Use and Cost Criteria

1. Low use/ high cost
2. Low use / low cost
3. Most expensive items, regardless of use
4. Protect book-based disciplines -- have already taken large cuts
5. Cut lesser-used database among a discipline's several databases
6. Least cost-effect "Big Deal" journal package

Operational Criteria

1. Persistent vendor problems, e.g., database unavailable, poor interface
2. Resource may be stopped now and recovered later
3. Leverage NC Live* content to expand campus-paid information
4. Available via Interlibrary Loan

* NC LIVE is North Carolina's statewide online library service. Founded in 1997, membership includes the NC Community Colleges, the NC Independent Colleges and Universities, the NC Public Libraries, the University of North Carolina System, and the State Library of North Carolina. Resources supplied by NC Live allow the Library to defer costs and to use funds for other information resources.

Comments and feedback

We encourage comments from faculty, staff, and students on these planned reductions. Please contact your University Librarian Mary Reichel,(reichelml@appstate.edu), your Collection Management liaison or John Abbott, Coordinator of Collection Management (abbottJP@appstate.edu).