Session Number
14
Description
There must be few librarians that have not had to make cuts in serials budgets in recent years - if not for lack of direct financial resources then at least due to the change in the dollar rate. Can we carry out such cuts 'scientifically' or is it usually a case of educated guesswork perhaps backed up by departmental recommendations ? Can we rely on faculty members' expressed needs or should we resort to hiding the journal until (or indeed if ever) he screams for it? Do our academics in any case ever view their own subscriptions and recommendations critically?
The problems associated with such cuts nearly always leave the Librarian in the position of the Sheriff of Nottingham rather than Robin Hood who stole from the rich to feed the poor, since those who complain the loudest are already probably getting the biggest share of the cake anyway. The interdisciplinary nature of many journals, particularly in an essentially technological environment, creates an additional hazard in any discussions concerned with a subject approach to the overall budget. From many points of view a strict subject approach is an undesirable method of assessment.
So what are we left with other than a blunt-edged knife?
Serials Cuts (And the Use of a Blunt Knife)
There must be few librarians that have not had to make cuts in serials budgets in recent years - if not for lack of direct financial resources then at least due to the change in the dollar rate. Can we carry out such cuts 'scientifically' or is it usually a case of educated guesswork perhaps backed up by departmental recommendations ? Can we rely on faculty members' expressed needs or should we resort to hiding the journal until (or indeed if ever) he screams for it? Do our academics in any case ever view their own subscriptions and recommendations critically?
The problems associated with such cuts nearly always leave the Librarian in the position of the Sheriff of Nottingham rather than Robin Hood who stole from the rich to feed the poor, since those who complain the loudest are already probably getting the biggest share of the cake anyway. The interdisciplinary nature of many journals, particularly in an essentially technological environment, creates an additional hazard in any discussions concerned with a subject approach to the overall budget. From many points of view a strict subject approach is an undesirable method of assessment.
So what are we left with other than a blunt-edged knife?