Serial Cuts vs. Public Service: A Formula

SERIALs ARE THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT SOURCE of current information in science and technology libraries. Recently as serials prices have increased from 10 to 15 percent annually1 and library allocations have often remained static or been decreased, librarians have continued subscriptions even as the share of money left unencumbered slipped into negative numbers. Most librarians who have enjoyed years of expanding collections and increasing materials allocations have not adequately developed techniques for cutting budgets in the face of inflation and reduced funding.2 Those who have been forced to make reductions in subscription lists may make budget cuts on the basis of intuition, choosing titles which they feel are not being used. Others generalize on the basis of price which titles should be of most importance to users, that is, lowcost titles are most popular and least likely to be used in advanced research and high-priced titles · are important international publications.3 Still others have forced faculty members to make the decision after indicating that no books can be purchased if serials are not reduced.4 ·