Collections Budget Details for 2024/25

The collections budget was funded at the same level as the prior year; we did not receive any funds to cover anticipated inflationary increases of $100-150 thousand for books, journals, and databases. We reviewed all renewal invoices as we received them, and canceled several resources that demanded an annual increase higher than 5%, or that have a high cost per use.

Cancellations:

DynaMed – canceled August 2024 for unsustainable price increases and high cost per use.

JAMAevidence – canceled August 2024 for unsustainable price increases and high cost per use.

ACM Digital Library – canceled July 2024 for high cost per use.

Philosopher’s Index – At the request of the philosophy department, we canceled Philosopher’s Index and redirected the funds to initiate a subscription to PhilPapers.

New subscriptions

Because our spending power is declining this year, no new subscriptions can be started unless commensurate reductions are made. There are 2 mechanisms for repurposing library funding. Both require the approval of both the academic department head and the Assistant Dean for Collections and Electronic Resources. Contact your library liaison for more information on these processes.

1. A department may permanently reduce its book fund and reallocate money for a new journal or database subscription. Any new subscription will be immune from any cancellation reviews for at least 3 years. If a resource is canceled later due to large cost increases or low use, the money will not go back to the departmental fund.
2. A department may set new subscription priorities by canceling some journals or databases and starting new subscriptions of equal value. Any new subscription will be immune from any cancellation reviews for at least 3 years. If a resource is canceled later due to large cost increases or low use, the money will not go back to the departmental fund.

One time Purchases

Each department has a book fund that can be used for one-time purchases (but not for ongoing subscriptions). In addition, the Libraries sometimes get significant one-time money near the end of the budget year. The Libraries maintain an ongoing list of faculty requests that can be purchased with these funds. All UNCG faculty are welcome to add to the list.