Thank you for your time, attention, and input during these challenging times. I hope that you are still doing as well as can be expected as we greet the summer months.  

As noted in my email sent on May 18th, to address the $7 million structural deficit in the School of Arts, Science & Engineering, River Campus Libraries collection librarians have evaluated usage, content, cost, subject, and citation data to identify recommended titles for a permanent cost reduction of $500,000. This reduction represents 7% of the subscription budget. 

The preliminary list of potential titles is available for your review and input. Please note, no decisions have been made or will be made without the opportunity for you to provide your feedback. We are committed to honoring disciplinary difference throughout this process, and welcome your response.  

The libraries’ team has taken a holistic and data-informed approach. We are relying on you to provide qualitative input to inform next steps by contacting your department's designated Outreach Librarian. As your library liaison, they will be following up with you after this email. 

We cannot avoid canceling resources and journals in this process, but we will make every effort to ensure cancellations are properly managed and communicated. We can also reassure you that should you need, in the future, titles from any of the cancelled titles, these will be obtained via Inter-library Loans. You can keep up with our efforts in real-time through a variety of channels, including the Library's Sustainable Scholarship webpage, which features ongoing updates on our process.  

We will provide one additional full-faculty email update as we conclude this summer review. Watch for that update in Mid-July with a link to the finalized list. Mid-July is the deadline for input and decision-making to ensure we meet our contractual obligations for subscription resources.    

If you have questions or input on collection strategies you would like to discuss, please do not hesitate to contact Lindsay Cronk, River Campus Libraries' Head of Collection Strategies and Scholarly Communications. If you're interested in learning more about the library's negotiations and strategies, we encourage you to sign up for a discussion session. 

Thank you, in advance, for your understanding and feedback. 

Regards,

Mary Ann Mavrinac
Vice Provost and Andrew H. and Janet Dayton Neilly Dean
University of Rochester Libraries