Library struggles to keep up with journal demand

By Liz O'Brien

With just over a month until the March 31 opening of the university's new library, the facility's high-tech devices and student- friendly services are about to be unveiled. But the foundation of a library -- books and journals -- may be in proportionally shorter stock than ever before.

In the last six years, the deficit between the library's operating budget and the scope of journals, books and databases available has been steadily increasing, said Taeock Kim, associate university librarian. In other words, the library's budget can't keep up with the number of new journals available.

"The gap is getting bigger every year, so we have to be really careful in what we purchase," said Kim. "We used to have the operating budget to purchase any type of material, when we had enough money. Now we don't have that luxury."

Prior to 2001, the library's budget allowed for an eight to nine percent increase in the operating budget every year, which Kim said was more than adequate for the library's book and journal needs. However, after a $100,000 budget cut in 2001, that rate changed to five percent, where it has remained since.

The library was not the only university arena affected in 2001 when the University Budget Council made across-the-board cuts in response to financial hardships, said Provost Lucia Gilbert. The hardships largely stemmed from lower tuition funds because of a smaller incoming class, said Gilbert.

The problem, Kim said, is that a five percent increase barely covers the library's current subscriptions to databases and journals, leaving little or no room to purchase new materials. Since 2001 alone, when the university subscribed to 5,168 journals, subscriptions have decreased by 1,335, said Aimee Algier, head of technical services.

Although students may not be conscious of the vast array of journals at their fingertips, some faculty are highly aware of the university's journal availability -- especially when that availability disappears or remains static.

"Faculty need greater library facilities that Santa Clara can't provide," said history professor Steven Gelber. "It's always been the case, but my sense is that it's getting worse because the amount of material available in libraries is growing exponentially and the university can't keep up."

Much of that inability to keep up stems from the high inflation rates of journals and databases. According to Kim, the cost of foreign journals increases at a rate of about 12 percent every year, and domestic journals increase seven to eight percent. As last year's average journal price hovered around $470, those increases are hardly negligible in the library's $2.5 million operating budget.

"When you get the five percent increase in the budget, it doesn't cover the inflation rate, so there's a problem -- you can't pay for the same amount of journals," said social sciences Librarian Hélene Lafrance.

It's not just faculty that will be affected by the disproportionate cost-to-budget ratio, said Lafrance.

"We are not a research institution like Stanford or Berkeley, so basically our selection supports the curriculum," she said. "We don't support faculty research as much as other big institutions, so I would say the cut will really affect the students."

Gilbert said Santa Clara may be able to team up with larger research institutions to improve access to resources.

"We're hoping we can join with (larger universities) to try to figure out how to get the cost more manageable," she said.

Also a factor in the library's budgeting problems is the switch from print-based journals and databases to online resources.

Though printed materials tack on a printing and binding fee, Kim said it is more expensive to subscribe to an online database. Despite the cost, Kim said the transition is a priority because it's what faculty and students want.

In addition to the library's 3,833 individual journals, subscriptions are "aggregated databases" which provide access to hundreds of journals spanning virtually all fields. Currently, students and faculty can access over 50,000 journals through these databases. The publisher, not the university, controls the content of the databases, which can cost anywhere from $700 to $97,000. Like individual journals, databases also carry high inflation rates.

Because the library is committed to paying off ongoing subscriptions, the budget for one-time purchases, such as books and DVDs, can suffer, Kim said.

To relieve the funding issues, librarians decided earlier this year to shoot for a 10 percent decrease in expenditures, which would require canceling subscriptions.

"Faculty were very upset about this," Kim said.

Gilbert said the faculty sent her a joint letter expressing their concerns earlier this month. Two weeks ago, she announced via e-mail that the 10 percent decrease would be halted.

Currently, the library is at a standstill, both in the cancellation process and in its ability to purchase new materials.

Kim said the library staff is appealing to Gilbert and the budget council to allow for more fundraising to be specifically funneled into the operating budget.

Gilbert said she sees a three-fold approach to resolving the problem: to look at the existing budget, work with more development and get more grants written.

The university has also made pledges of development money "so there will be ample funds in library resources to support the core," she said.

As it stands, the library can't continue to purchase new journals while paying off current subscriptions. As long as prices increase at a much faster rate than the library's budget, it is unlikely there will be any new journal purchases.

"We're falling behind by standing still," Gelbert said.

Contact Liz O'Brien at (408) 554-4546 or eobrien@scu.edu.