c/o Katina Strauch Post Office Box 799 Sullivan’s Island, SC 29482
VOLUME 33, NUMBER 3
JUNE 2021 TM
“Linking Publishers, Vendors and Librarians”
ISSN: 1043-2094
A Deep Dive into Access Fees By Amy Pham (Database and eBooks Manager, SCELC) <amy@scelc.org>
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ccess fees often comprise a small portion of a collections or materials budget, but represent a large, unspoken topic. As the COVID-19 pandemic affected budgets across campuses in 2020, libraries were asked to justify operating and materials expenses and had to make difficult decisions to cancel what they could, no matter how little the expense. As libraries closely scrutinized their costs, access fees came into question. It seemed like many libraries chose to cancel their access fees, opting to lose access to “perpetual” purchases. Often, these purchases were made many years ago and reflected low usage despite a large financial investment. Growing from what was originally an idea for a single article about access fees,
this issue of Against the Grain provides a deep dive into access fees: what they are, whether they are sustainable, and the tension between librarians and vendors on the topic. In the process, the authors touch on broader conversations about collection sustainability, with the access fee as a subject by proxy. In “Access Fees: Controlling the Snowball,” Lizzie Cope (Electronic Resources Access Librarian, University of Tennessee) and Elyssa M. Gould (Head, Acquisitions & Continuing Resources, University of Tennessee) address the unsustainably compounding nature of access fees at their institution and the philosophy they developed to reassess and negotiate the cost of access to purchased collections in the long-term.
If Rumors Were Horses
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t’s summer and all seems hopeful! Much is happening in our space. Sullivan’s island SC is loaded with local people and tourists from everywhere enjoying the outdoors! We are planning the Charleston 2021 Conference November 1-5 in person as well as virtual! Hooha!
News Flash and Other Announcements The Charleston Conference is planning a very special “In Between” half day virtual mini-conference event in late July to explore important late-breaking developments that can’t wait till November for discussion! Expect to hear experts discussing topics like Clarivate/Proquest and the most recent stages of Covid-19 re-opening. Stay tuned.
Partially inspired by Cope and Gould’s original presentation at ER&L 2021, Alyssa Resnick (Head, Technical Services & Collection Development and Co-Associate Dean for Collections, University of Southern California) provides a detailed analysis of several different access fees paid by her institution in “A Glimpse of Access Fees at USC Libraries” and the approach she took with each while negotiating new fees. Gale and ProQuest provide candid profiles of their companies and the unseen investment behind their hosting fees and continuing service fees. Roger Strong (Vice President of Sales, Gale) continued on page 6
What To Look For In This Issue:
Registration for the 2021 Charleston Conference Vendor Showcase opened on June 14, 2021. We’ll have 148 in-person booths and Pathable (our virtual event platform) has several new features to offer our vendors. A “Talk Now” option will allow conference attendees to join a one-on-one video chat with an available booth representative. A l s o j u s t a d d e d fo r 2021, is “QR Code badge scanning.” You’re going to love it! Use this link to register online: https://charlestonconference.regfox. com/2021-charleston-vendor-showcase, but don’t delay, space is limited. continued on page 6
Optimizing Library Services....... 46 Obituary — Michael Moss.......... 53 Library Analytics: Shaping the Future....................................... 56 Back Talk.................................. 62 TOC for ATG Online Articles..... 20
Interviews Mehdi Khosrow-Pour................ 40 Simon Inger............................... 44
Profiles Encouraged People, Library and Company Profiles...................................... 58 Plus more...................... See inside
1043-2094(202106)33:3;1-X
