Issue 5: Exploring New Markets and Developing Nations
International Library Budget Trends: 2005
Joshua Clarke Research Analyst 617-395-4054Publishers Communication Group administered a brief survey to librarians outside of North America in late 2004 to learn about anticipated changes in expenditures on library materials and specifically about serials and electronic resources. Globally, it appears as though overall materials budgets are stabilizing, with the majority of respondents expecting their spending on materials to remain level with 2004. The majority of participants in this survey also expect that spending on serials will increase during this year and that monies allocated to electronic resources will continue to represent a significant portion of serials budgets.
The survey was administered to two hundred librarians at institutions throughout Europe, Australia, and Asia, representing a diverse sample population of countries including: Australia, Belgium, China, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, and Taiwan, among others.
Overall Materials Budgets
For the most part, materials budgets are expected to remain consistent with 2004; 59.5% of the librarians contacted for this survey reported that spending would not change dramatically this year. Many librarians reported that the worst budget cuts have passed and although they do not anticipate a dramatic increase in materials budgets, their collections have now stabilized and any changes in resources would most likely be attributed to changes in access methods or minor modifications to current holdings. Specifically, exchanging one subscription for another of equal value could make allowances for new resources. Alternatively, funds could become available if spending on resources were to be consolidated through a consortium or large database purchase.Evidence of the general trend toward stabilization of materials budgets in international markets can also be seen by the low percentage of respondents indicating that their institution would reduce their overall materials spending in 2005. In fact, the 14.2% reporting reductions in their library’s material budget is significantly lower than the 26.2% of survey participants who expect that overall materials spending will increase in the coming year
Expected Percentage Change in Materials Budgets
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Serials Budgets
While the overall materials budgets at the institutions Publishers Communication Group surveyed are remaining generally stable, the same cannot be said for the budget designated for serials. 49.2% of the respondents to this survey reported that their institution would be increasing the amount of funds allocated for purchasing serials in 2005. Throughout the world, serials continue to absorb more significant percentages of overall materials budgets, in large part a response to demand from library patrons and faculty members. Many librarians we have spoken with, especially those working with STM materials, but also those working with Social Science and Humanities materials, feel that serials, both single titles and larger packages or databases, tend to provide more return on the expenditure. Serials tend to be the most visible and most often used components of the library collection, especially for STM materials, and as such, serials budgets are continuing to grow.The increase in serials budgets is not universal, however: 19.7% of those contacted reported that expenditures on serials are expected to decline in 2005. This result while not particularly problematic for scholarly publishers, in relation to the percentage of institutions expecting level or increased serials expenditure, is interesting to note since more respondents anticipate a decline in serials expenditure in 2005 than the number anticipating a drop in overall materials spending. In many cases, librarians expect that they will be moving away from big deals and focusing their collection on core material that is in high demand by library patrons. Most expect that this realignment could reduce expenditures on serials in the coming years.
The remaining 31.1% of those participating in the survey expect their serials budgets to remain the same in 2005.
Expected Percentage Change in Serials Budgets
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Electronic Resources
Although some institutions have separate budgets for electronic resources, the vast majority of the librarians Publishers Communication Group spoke with explained that electronic resources are funded by the general serials budget. The remaining 20% of those contacted for this survey reported that none of the serials budget is spent on electronic resources. This group includes institutions that do not have an electronic resources budget as well as those with a unique budget for these items.
Spending on electronic resources continues to represent a significant portion of serials budgets and there is no information available that would indicate that this would change in the near future. The most common amount of the serials budget dedicated to electronic resources was 11%-20%; 19.5% of those participating in this survey indicated that their institution’s spending level was within this range. Furthermore, 45% of respondents reported that more than 21% of their current serials budget is spent on electronic resources. It is clear the anticipated increase in spending on serials will have a dramatic impact on spending on electronic resources as libraries continue to expand their collection coverage and invest in electronic resources.
Percentage of Serials Budget Spent on Electronic Resources
