Linda Di Biase, Collection Development
Recently, UW subject specialist librarians, conferring with appropriate faculty, undertook an extensive evaluation of serial and journal subscriptions in the Libraries' collections. This evaluation, which is a regular part of librarians' collection manage ment responsibilities, is especially important this year as the Libraries prepares to implement a $712,000, or approximately 4.8%, cut to its resources budget. Librarians identified more than 950 titles that will be cancelled in the 1995-1997 biennium to accomplish this goal. The resources cut comprises about one-half of the $1,360,000 reduction to the entire Libraries' budget mandated to take effect in 1995-97.
About one quarter of the serial cancellations are in Health Sciences, with the remaining from the other Libraries collections. Further cancellation activity is expected during the biennium, as our vendors are reporting an average price increase of 14.5% f or next year's subscriptions. Although book costs have not escalated to the degree shown by serials, cuts are anticipated in that sector of the materials budget as well.
In spite of these required cuts, the Libraries is committed to maintaining the strongest collection possible in order to meet the needs of university faculty, students, and staff. We are equally committed to providing access for our primary users to needed information that we do not own, using traditional means such as interlibrary borrowing, as well as alternatives such as the use of commercial vendors for article delivery, and the provision of electronic full-text resources. This expanded range of options for supplying information to our users will aid us in making the best use of our limited fiscal resources.