2015 Charleston Library Conference

Keeping up with “Big Deal” journal packages has put a strain on library budgets and the budgetary dikes are leaking. We are all reaching a breaking point, but who can resist the siren’s call of the “Big Deal” packages? This has necessitated libraries to consider multiple options in order to absorb the floodwaters in uncertain times. Two universities will discuss their different approaches in shoring up the levee. While one was able to find a solution through contract negotiations, the other decided not to renew system-wide access to their “Big Deal” journal package.
This discussion will outline several options and strategies in negotiating journal packages, and how to measure the impact at your institution by using statistics from a multidisciplinary database, Interlibrary Loan, and Get it Now to approximate the value and necessity of the big deal subscription. The discussion will also present possible applications for ongoing collection development decisions in an era of unpredictable budgetary tides.