Inflation on journals has library supporters in search of funding
The inflation rate on library journals at Utah State University is increasing by 10 percent per year, according to Peter Dawson, officer of the President’s Leadership Council at USU.
Dawson said the state of Utah is running out of adequate funding for academic journals, as a result of the inflation rate increase. Therefore, he said, many Utah universities, including USU, are forced to stop buying subscriptions to various journals.
“It’s not just that the libraries are affected, but electronic data is, too,” Dawson said. E-data is the cutting edge of technology, he said, and affects the entire campus, not just the two libraries.
“Pretty soon, libraries will be archaic,” he said.
He said electronic technology is expanding and growing every year, and so is inflation, but school funding is not keeping up.
Friends of USU Libraries are attempting to raise funds by phone solicitation to parents of USU students, lobbying for more money from the state legislature and asking for more from student fees, Dawson said.
According to John Elsweiler, USU Interim director of libraries, $50,000 has been donated by parents of USU students over the past five years.
This all helps, Dawson said, but isn’t enough to maintain the school goal for the library – and the goal isn’t particularly lofty.
“Mostly, it’s not having to cut off any more journals and being able to maintain our funds,” Dawson said.
“It will require millions of dollars, over time, to do so and to also keep up with updated electronic technology,” said Richard Schockmel, USU acquisitions librarian.
“We haven’t made as good of a marketing as we should have, and we’re not fulfilling the needs of USU researchers. We have to buy $1.5 million worth of research per year, and this year we’ve only raised $425,000 in funds,” he said.
For this reason, along with rising inflation rates, some journal subscriptions have to be cut every year, he said.
The spotlighted journals for financial discussion are those involving science or math or those leading to a doctorate degree, since such journals are the most expensive, Schockmel said.
“School journals are crucial to student learning and faculty teaching,” Dawson said. “So, USU needs money.”
“We appreciate the support given by students, faculty and parents in working toward our main mission of maintaining journal subscriptions,” Elsweiler said.
However, in order to reach the ultimate goal of not only overcoming increasing inflation but also expanding journal subscriptions, more money is needed, he said.
“It all boils down to money,” Elsweiler said.