Library subscriptions Date: Thu, 27 Mar 1997 16:15:40 -0400 reply-to: "P. Patrick Leahy, Chief Geologist, Reston, VA" X-Mailer: Z-Mail for Macintosh (3.3.0 31Oct95) To: "USGS Employees" Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii MEMORANDUM March 27, 1997 To: All USGS Employees From: P. Patrick Leahy Chief Geologist Subject: Library subscriptions The Library Services Group (LSG), comprising the Denver, Menlo Park, Reston, and Flagstaff libraries, is charged with supporting research and outreach missions throughout the USGS. As the division entrusted with the management of these libraries, we strive to operate them in a manner that meets the needs of users bureauwide. We particularly need your input as library users at times of a major change to the library holdings. Now is such a time. On October 9, 1996, we briefed the bureau Operations Council on the proposed FY-1997 LSG budget. Prior to this presentation, all aspects of the budget were carefully examined to identify alternatives for lowering costs. The portion of this budget identified for periodicals and books was $965,000. Eighty five percent of this proposed periodicals-and-books budget was for subscriptions; the other fifteen percent was for books, CD-ROMS, and document delivery services of single articles. The amount budgeted for subscriptions was based on the assumption of continuing the current number of subscriptions. On February 14, 1997, the Associate Director for Operations issued a memorandum to the Chief Geologist which provided guidelines for cost containment in the funding level for the Library Services Group for the present fiscal year. With regard to periodicals and books, the memo stated "we remain firm on our decision to keep funding of periodicals and serials to $500,000." The memo further directs the Geologic Division to effect any reductions or eliminations that are necessary. While efforts have been underway to find ways to address this $465,000 shortfall, they have not been successful thus far. Hence, I am now instructing the LSG to begin a serials cancellation process to reach the target funding level. The purpose of this memo is to explain to you the steps in this cancellation process, and to solicit your input as library users. For a cancellation of this magnitude, the optimal process would take several months and allow for multiple stages of user input. However, at this point in the fiscal year, we must ask users and library staff to greatly accelerate this process in order that funds may be expended for continuing subscriptions within the timelines required by contractual processes. 1. Allocation. We will allocate the $500,000 for periodicals and books to the four categories of subscriptions, books, CD-ROMS, and document delivery services in the same proportions as originally budgeted. Specifically for subscriptions this means that there will be $422,466 available versus $815,360 required for our current 2,238 subscriptions. This represents a 48 percent shortfall. Since the price of subscriptions varies, the exact number of cancellations is not known at this time. We anticipate that the number of cancellations will be commensurate with the percentage cut in funding, or about 48 percent of 2,238 subscriptions. 2. User input. The list of all current subscriptions is posted on the LSG website on the intranet (url http://www.usgs.gov:8888/library). We ask that you carefully review this site and prepare a list of subscriptions that you feel are critical to maintain, noting title, library location, and the USGS program(s) the subscription supports. Email your list to jl_cuts@usgs.gov by April 4, 1997. 3. Cancellations list: LSG librarians in the Reference and Acquisitions sections will review user input, journal usage, availability through interlibrary loan, and cost, and prepare a list of cancellations meeting as many of the needs as funding allows. This list will be reviewed by representatives of all USGS Divisions and posted at the library's homepage about April 15, 1997. The library has undertaken other cancellations in past years (a total of 1,667 subscriptions has been canceled since 1986). I greatly appreciate the diligent work on the part of the library staff in conducting these difficult tasks and the thoughtful input from the user community. Many of the reductions in the past have centered on duplicate subscriptions among LSG libraries, lesser used titles, and those readily available from other sources through interlibrary loan or document delivery services. We anticipate that a cancellation of the size needed to meet the current funding level will cut into more heavily used materials and many of those titles may not be available through other sources. Therefore, your input at the beginning of this process is vital to assist us in making the best decisions possible.