Give Them What They Want: Articles on Demand as a Subscription Alternative

Abstract

IUPUI University Library is strategically shifting to a “just in time” collection development philosophy. Technological changes inside and outside the library reduce the need for materials to be on hand “just in case.” Electronic books and easy access to the used book market make it relatively easy to obtain requested materials on demand. Simultaneously, the volume of publishing coupled with budget restrictions mean libraries are able to purchase only a fraction of the publications in a given year. Journals pose the additional challenge of high inflation rates while library budgets decrease or remain flat. In light of these changes, why not focus resources on what patrons actually want and will use?

One of University Library’s “just in time” initiatives is an Articles on Demand service for faculty. Rather than subscribing to low-use journals, the library has chosen to move towards pay-per-view article purchases, freeing up funds for subscriptions to high-use journals. However, it was important to both the library and faculty to maintain quick and easy access to the journals cut in order to fulfill faculty research needs. University Library launched the Articles on Demand for science faculty pilot using the unmediated version of the Copyright Clearance Center’s “Get It Now” service in fall 2014 and extended the service to all faculty in fall 2015. Faculty’s ability to initiate purchases has allowed the library to successfully give them what they want at their point of need. This presentation will share the implementation process, challenges encountered, usage statistics and faculty feedback.