Bottoming Out the Bottomless Pit with the Journal Usage/Cost Relational Index

Abstract

What journal subscriptions should be cancelled and what is a systematic way to do it? The Usage/Cost Relational Index identifies low-use journals and ranks the titles in relation to their subscription costs. The Index has a simple formula easy for librarians to apply and explain to inquisitive faculty. The Index Numbers are calculated in ASCII format on a spreadsheet with imported files of subscription prices and use statistics. The Index is individual for each library and flexible in the usage-data needed for the study. Use statistics may include interlibrary loan activity, exclude in-house use or have other data quirks. It is important for the manager to be aware of what the usage figures represent. Use studies can be time-consuming and, therefore, expensive, but their costs can be recovered in the cancellation of journal subscriptions that are costly in relation to their use.