The “big deal” as a model for purchasing scholarly journals is no longer sustainable for mid-sized universities like Dalhousie.

What is a “big deal,” anyway?

It’s when scholarly publishers bundle 100s or 1,000s of journals and sell them for a discounted price. When publishers introduced the big deals, it made economic sense to buy in. As time went on, publishers increased the size of the bundles, adding titles of dubious value while driving up the costs significantly.

The five largest bundles we subscribe to have increased in cost by 78% since 2010. One bundle costs $850,000. In another bundle, fewer than 40% of the titles are being used by Dalhousie researchers, scholars and students. We subscribe to dozens of bundles.

https://vimeo.com/255570271

This year, we are examining over 7,000 titles in six bundles that are up for renewal. We want your input. Attend a public consultation and select which journals are important to you at https://fairprice.library.dal.ca

Attend a public consultation session:

Agricultural Campus
Wednesday, March 7, 2 p.m.
Riverview Room, Jenkins Hall

Studley Campus
Thursday, March 8, 4:15 p.m.
MacMechan Auditorium,
Killam Library

Carleton Campus
Wednesday, March 14, 12 p.m.
CHEB, Room C264

RESCHEDULED DUE TO WEATHER:
Sexton Campus
Tuesday, March 20, 4:15 p.m.
B Building, Room B229