I don't imagine for one minute that Messrs Gilmore, Waters, Andersson or Ulvaeus will have noticed the extra royalty payments landing in their bank accounts, as a host of television and radio programmes play the famous money songs of Pink Floyd and ABBA to promote the latest documentary on the sorry state of our economy.
By way of contrast, our members’ libraries will be only too aware of the impact of the severe cuts meted out to the sector recently, and the decision to increase VAT by 2.5% to 20% from January 2011.
The global academic library community has been working hard to demonstrate to suppliers just how serious matters are: ICOLC's Statement from January last year was re-issued last month, and a recent SCONUL survey of UK Library Directors puts funding and financial management at the top of their list of concerns, and some way ahead of other priorities. And it is not just suppliers who need convincing; senior management in universities are increasingly seeking a return on investment from the budget made available to the library for the content it acquires and the support service it provides.
In such difficult times, it is easy to look over the fence and see much greener grass on the other side. Perhaps pharmaceutical companies get better value for money in terms of journal agreements than their academic counterparts, and maybe informational professionals in other parts of the corporate sector are better negotiators. Research we have undertaken suggests that these groups are just as challenged as us when it comes to obtaining and measuring value for money, and that we both face the same obdurate responses from certain publishers when it comes to convincing them of the need for price restraint.
Shared Services is being hailed is one way forward in these difficult times, and we know that many of our members are looking at this concept and how it can be applied to a number of library and information situations.
JISC Collections is a good example of a shared service. We strive to represent the needs and interests of our members at all times. And, in the current economic climate, we are aware that it is more essential than ever to deliver cost savings through effective negotiation.
We are working hard - both behind the scenes, and in direct dealings with suppliers - to ensure that we represent our members’ interests as effectively as possible, and that we secure access to content at affordable rates. However, we will only be successful if we can have an open dialogue with members, and that there is a willingness to stand firm in the face of unacceptable pricing proposals.
Our Corporate Plan has recently been signed-off by the JISC Collections Board of Management. We hope it reflects the requirements of our members for 2010-11 – as well as our ambitions for the future.
