Everybody working in the lively world of scholarly information will be aware of the dilemma libraries are facing: every year the collection has to remain up to date while budgets are getting tighter and prices keep rising. What is the role libraries can play to find the balance? Overall it is always good to be critical whenever licences have to be renewed. Maastricht University Library dived into the world of wish lists and usage statistics and developed a tool in order to evaluate packages (‘big deals’) and give sound advice to the faculties.

1. Evaluating e-content
Lots of numbers and then decide
Monique Dikboom
License Manager, Maastricht University Library
UKSG, Glasgow – March 2015

2. University Library
What is this session about?
Introduction - Maastricht University
Problem Based Learning
Acquisition of e-content
Focus on big deals
Evaluation Tool
How to keep control
Questions/discussion

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The Netherlands

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Introduction
What do you know about us (the Dutch)?
•A lot of people in a small flat country
•16.877.351 inhabitants
•Every Sunday evening 3,7 million of them watch
“Boer zoekt vrouw” (=“Farmer wants a wife”)
•We not only have a king but also a queen
•And: 13 Universities and a Royal Library

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Maastricht
• In the “deep” south of the Netherlands
• 121.906 inhabitants
• Meuse River (in Dutch: Maas)
• Rich history (romans, d’Artagnan)
• Once a year: Carnival! And André Rieu
• University since 1976

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Universiteit Maastricht

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8. University Library
Maastricht University
Founded in 1976, 2 locations
17 bachelor 56 master programs
15.000 students and 3500 staff members
•Law
•Business and Economics
•Health, Medicine and Life Sciences
•Psychology and Neurology
•Humanities and Science
•Arts and Social Sciences

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Problem Based Learning
• Student oriented
• Working in tutorial groups
•Define and analyze a problem
•Search for additional information outside group
» LIBRARY!
•Report and synthesize the new information
What does this mean for the library?

10. University Library
Picture the every day practice of education (and learning)

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STUDY SPACE
• Long opening hours
• Flexible layout, ergonomic workplaces
• Diversity in study rooms
•big rooms, small rooms, study cabinets
•studying individually and group-wise
•silence vs. whispering vs. talking (eating)
•room for class IT-instruction
• Computer and multimedia facilities
Universiteit Maastricht

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Universiteit Maastricht

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Organisation of the subscriptions

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Negotiating for big deals
• 5 big deals with major publishers expired 2014
• Elsevier, Springer, Wiley, SAGE, OUP
• Strong statement Ministry of Education, Culture
and Science: OPEN ACCESS
• Use the negotiations for transition towards OA

15. University Library
Meanwhile in the library…
Investigation!
Big deal: what’s in it for us (core title lists, usage)
And the price?
How much money do we have?
Evaluation with the help of our home made tool

16. University Library
Required data
• Lists of core titles of each faculty
• Usage reports
• What’s in the deal now?
• What will be in it next year
• Impact factors
• List prices of the titles
Value of the total package

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After combining parameters in the tool

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How to stay in control (individual titles)
• Price increases up to 30% (just like that…)
Actions:
• >5% approach of the publishers – what’s the
reason why?
• Collections managers; can we cancel subs?
• Expensive subs: do we really need them?
• Proactive approach in September: new prices

19. University Library
Fantastic reasons the publishers gave us
• No increase in the last years
• More issues/pages than last year
• We have to keep up pace with others
• Rise of the costs we made
• We don’t charge euro’s anymore, but GBP
(but still charge the same amount)
• Rise of the postal costs (for an e-journal)
• Rise of the price of kerosene (?!)

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How to stay in control
• Price increases to 30% (just like that…)
Actions:
• >5% approach of the publishers
• Collection managers; cancel?
• Expensive subs: do we really need them?
• Proactive approach in September: new prices

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Barriers
• No possibility to cancel core titles
• Small publishers with little or no room for
negotiation
• Prices for the next year are not set before
November/December
• Adverse exchange rates (dollars, pounds,
euro’s)

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Conclusions: so…?
• Inform your payers and decision makers, ask
for their commitment
• Keep on talking to the suppliers!
• Close cooperation with other libraries and your
licensing bureau
• Don’t be afraid to cancel

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Questions?

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Universiteit Maastricht