Learn more about the for-profit academic publishing industry in this documentary.
Resources that academic libraries subscribe to and provide access to are rising in cost beyond the normal inflation index. This issue is of supreme importance. W&M Libraries, with other universities in the state, analyzed our own journal subscriptions, particularly those subscriptions which we have with the top academic publishers in the world: Reed Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley-Blackwell, SAGE, and Taylor & Francis.
The business model for each of these companies includes annual inflation rates of 3 or 4% for journal subscriptions in large packages (sometimes referred to as “big deals”). When purchased a la carte, inflation is even higher – 6-12% per title every year. This rate of inflation outpaces any other sector of the U.S. economy: health insurance, the Consumer Price Index, the Higher Education Price Index, and beyond. It’s an unsustainable and unstable situation.
We present here highlights on the costs of our largest four journal packages along with other details about how these subscriptions operate.
Find out more
- Sustainable Scholarship Virtual Forums
- The Rising Cost of Information: University of California Splits from Elsevier
- California Elsevier Decision: A Virginia Response
Key W&M Journal Packages | 2022
| Elsevier | Springer | Wiley | SAGE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Journals Available | 52 | 2272 | 1660 | 1239 |
| W&M cost for journal subscriptions this year | $209,746 | $377,869 | $250,597 | $179,610 |
| Annual rate of inflation | varies | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| % of W&M Libraries collection budget | 6% | 11% | 7.5% | 5% |
| Expected cost of the package in 2025 with 3.5% inflation | $232,549 | $418,950 | $277,841 | $199,136 |
| Total # of full-text downloads by W&M users last year | 23,816 | 77,551 | 73,676 | 48,530 |
| Average cost-per-download | $8.80 | $4.87 | $3.40 | $3.70 |
| % of journals in the package which had 0 downloads this year | 0% | 15% | 7% | 25% |
| Other resources from this publisher we subscribe to in addition to journals |
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Key W&M Journal Packages | 2019
| Elsevier | Springer | Wiley | SAGE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package Name | ScienceDirect | SpringerLink | Wiley Online Library | SAGE Premier |
| Total Journals Available | 2,277 | 2,168 | 2,663 | 1,093 |
| W&M cost for journal subscriptions this year | $470,134 | $306,854 | $235,071 | $163,035 |
| Annual rate of inflation | 5% | 3% | 3% | 9% |
| % of W&M Libraries collection budget | 12% | 8% | 6% | 4% |
| Expected cost of the package in 2025 with 3.5% inflation | $554,559 | $366,215 | $277,367 | $183,609 |
| Total # of full-text downloads by W&M users last year | 152,285 | 45,747 | 68,973 | 44,323 |
| Average cost-per-download | $3.09 | $6.71 | $3.41 | $3.68 |
| % of journals in the package which had 0 downloads this year | 19% | 12% | 42% | 18% |
| Other resources from this publisher we subscribe to in addition to journals |
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Key W&M Journal Packages | 2018
| Elsevier | Springer | Wiley | SAGE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package Name | ScienceDirect | SpringerLink | Wiley Online Library | SAGE Premier |
| Total Journals Available | 2,284 | 2,244 | 1,463 | 1,093 |
| W&M cost for journal subscriptions this year | $451,134 | $297,916 | $225,638 | $149,366 |
| Annual rate of inflation | 3-4% | 3% | 3% | 4% |
| % of W&M Libraries collection budget | 12% | 8% | 6% | 4% |
| Expected cost of the package in 2025 with 3.5% inflation | $554,559 | $366,215 | $277,367 | $183,609 |
| Total # of full-text downloads by W&M users last year | 156,100 | 40,918 | 65,597 | 30,084 |
| Average cost-per-download | $2.89 | $6.03 | $3.44 | $4.96 |
| % of journals in the package which had 0 downloads this year | 21% | 0% | 11% | 8% |
| Other resources from this publisher we subscribe to in addition to journals |
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