Library Collections Budget Ginger Williams, Head Acquisitions Librarian October 11 & 12, 2017

Questions I've heard recently Is there any way to increase our allocation? Are lower level undergraduate hours included in the new formula? Are disciplines included in the new formula? Print is very important to us. Can we buy all print? How does the library buy ebooks? Can I get a list of our serials for an accreditation report? How do we get new journals?

Changing the budget model Challenges of the former model Examples: Serials & Department allocations for new materials Task force process

Challenges with former formula Complicated with irrelevant/inaccurate elements Underfunded and overfunded departments Challenges managing serials inflation Strict adherence => challenges funding emerging needs & interdisciplinary resources Formula requires more $ every year Designed for a print world, but today 70% of budget is spent on e-resources.

Managing serials inflation Buying serials in multi-year package deals helps control serials inflation. It also provides access to journals and databases we couldn’t afford if we bought everything title-by-title. Serials inflation (6% avg.) meant some departments frequently needed to drop titles to stay within their budget. We can’t drop titles that are part of multi-year deals. Library staff spent time working around departmental serials allocations.  Transfer titles from one department to another? Require departments to drop individual titles that are being used? Transfer titles from department to general?

Allocations task force The charge: Simplify as much as possible Increase flexibility To meet expanding mission of library & university To respond to shifts in ways information is generated, packaged, sold Don’t try for a quick fix Three years to benchmark against ARL libraries, conduct a literature review, test scenarios, & recommend a new model.

From ARL benchmarking & literature review The task force learned that no library has developed a perfect way to allocate the collection budget. So, we borrowed some ideas we liked and developed a model for Texas State. U. Alabama Colorado State U. Maryland Oklahoma State U. North Carolina Northwestern U UC Irvine

Task force approach We needed to take serials out of department allocations. We wanted to allocate funds to departments to support their teaching & research needs. We had to set aside funds for library initiatives like the Wittliff Collections, grant programs, and patron-driven acquisitions. We wanted methods for adjusting allocations when there’s a clear need. The perfect budget model doesn’t exist. Focus on a workable, transparent, flexible model.

New budget model Three parts: Serials, Department Allocations, Library Initiatives

Any resource we pay for year after year

Serials What happened to my department's serials? How do we get a new journal? Can I get a list of our journals for accreditation report?

Multi-year deals Journal packages: JSTOR, Sage, Springer, Elsevier, & Wiley Database packages: Ebsco & ProQuest Ebook subscriptions such as Safari & Ebook Central Streaming video subscriptions such as Academic Video Online Multidisciplinary databases such as Scopus Annual fees for digital archives, like Early American Newspapers Etc. All subject librarians review multi-year deals before renewing. Multi-year deals help control serials inflation & often provide access to many titles we couldn’t afford individually.

Serial groups Individual titles assigned to groups Arts & Humanities Social & Behavioral Sciences STEM+Health Each group has an allocation Subject librarians Review usage of current serials Review faculty requests for new titles & ILL data Consult with departments about possible changes Help your subject librarian advocate for your department. Talk to your subject librarian about what you need. Communicate changes in your department’s direction.

Serial allocation factors Cost of renewing current subscriptions Current subscription use and cost-per-use Hosting fees required to support one-time purchases from current year Statistics indicating need, such as ILL requests Requests from faculty during the preceding two years Degree programs approved within the preceding five years Degree programs under consideration if subscriptions are recommended in the Library Director’s Statement Who decides how much each group is allocated? Ginger Williams, Head of Acquisitions Lisa Ancelet, Head of Research, Instruction & Outreach

FAQ about serials How does my department get a new serial? Request one, either directly to your subject librarian or through the Order Request System (recommend a purchase) Acquisitions adds all requests for serials to wishlist for subject groups to consider Titles stay on wishlist for at least two years for subject groups to consider Can I get a list of our journals for accreditation report? We’ll provide a list of journals that support your department based on subject Ask your subject librarian or the Collection Development Librarian

Department allocations What factors are in the allocation formula? What if the formula doesn't give us enough money?

Calculating Allocations Every department gets base amount. Then, we add formula amount. Then, we subtract excess over cap. For FY18, $1,250,000 was available to allocate.

Base Amount Every department needs some funds for individually selected titles. For FY18, the base is $5,000.

Dept Degree Programs+Dept Majors+Dept Faculty FTE All Degree Programs+All Majors+All Faculty Degree Programs (weighted) Undergraduate = 1 Masters = 2 Doctoral = 2.5 Majors (weighted) Graduate = 2 Faculty FTE Data Sources: Academic Affairs Degree Program Inventory, 9/1/17 & Institutional Research, Majors & Faculty FTE, Fall 2016

Cap Amount The cap is a limit on funds allocated to a department by the formula. Selecting & buying individual titles is inefficient. Very large allocations can be wasteful, since some disciplines produce few books. For FY18, the cap is $40,000.

No library has developed a perfect way to allocate the collection budget. $60,000 is budgeted for allocation adjustments.

Allocation adjustments Subject librarians apply for funds Applications are due Oct. 15 & March 15 Applications must explain why department needs additional funds Head of Acquisitions & Head of Research, Instruction, & Outreach review applications Communicate with your subject librarian about department needs.

Evidence of need New programs, majors, minors, research centers, or program expansions within last five years Program review or accreditation report recommended additional Library support Subject named a university priority or is nationally ranked Collection assessment indicates need Faculty/student survey indicates need Requests declined/held over due to lack of funds The cap doesn’t apply to adjustments.

Any resource we pay for year after year The new budget model is aligned with the way information is packaged and sold today, allows us to address the needs of emerging programs, and gives us the flexibility we need since no formula is perfect.

Questions? Feedback? No budget model is perfect. Our goal is a transparent & flexible budget that helps us meet all needs & some wants. We welcome feedback that will help us improve the budget model.