As part of our ongoing collections strategy, EKU Libraries continuously reviews our subscriptions and services to ensure we’re meeting the needs of our campus community in the most responsible and sustainable way possible.
Over the past several years, our collections budget has remained flat. In practical terms, that means we’re working with the same dollars each year, even as the cost of scholarly resources continues to rise. With inflation, this creates a growing gap between what we have and what it takes to maintain access to the same materials.
We’ve managed to bridge that gap without making major cuts, thanks to careful planning, creative problem-solving, and detailed auditing of our subscriptions. We've proactively negotiated with vendors to reduce prices, stayed laser-focused on resource alignment with the current curriculum, and identified savings in the smallest and least expected places, including allocating resources more strategically across our digital collections. And it’s paying off.
This past year, we’ve strengthened how we make collections decisions by implementing an Online Collection Evaluation Rubric that helps us evaluate subscriptions in a more consistent, transparent way. In addition to traditional “cost per use” metrics, the rubric includes factors like curricular alignment, platform usability, and overall value to the campus.
At the same time, librarians are now engaging in a more structured approach to reviewing academic programs across campus. This work involves analyzing each department’s curriculum to better understand where information literacy is taught and what kinds of resources students and faculty rely on most. These deep dives are helping us make more informed decisions about what to purchase, what to prioritize, and how to align library resources with teaching and learning needs.
As part of this year’s review process, we’re making a few targeted cancellations, effective at the end of the 2024-2025 academic year:
These decisions were driven by a combination of low usage, overlapping content in other databases, and availability of the material through Library Express, our free document delivery and interlibrary loan service. Faculty and students can continue to access this content quickly, at no cost to them.
We’re also making several new investments that align with current campus needs:
EKU Libraries remains committed to expanding access and visibility for EKU research. Through cost-neutral “transformative” agreements, EKU faculty can publish open access with free or significantly reduced article processing charges (APCs) with several major publishers. These agreements currently include:
The Libraries is also monitoring and planning to participate in "subscribe to open" models from BioOne and Project MUSE. These models aim to increase open access content while sustaining publishers, which supports wider dissemination of EKU scholarship. All decisions are guided by data, values, and a deep commitment to EKU’s academic mission; funds saved are reinvested with the campus community always in mind.
For questions or ideas regarding collections, please reach out to a library liaison or visit our OA Funding page.
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