Making the Cut: Do Faculty Want to Be Involved in Library Database Cancellations?

Abstract

Because of the recent economic crisis, a number of academic libraries have faced the possibility of having to cancel database subscriptions. As a major user group of academic libraries, faculty have a history of being involved in collection decisions, but it is unclear to what extent they want to be involved in cancellations. Also, while the library literature outlines a variety of processes that libraries have used to involve faculty in their serials cancellation decisions, very little is written about eliminating databases. This study examines whether the strategies outlined for involving faculty in serials cancellations are applicable to database cancellations. We surveyed tenure-track and full-time faculty members at Towson University to determine their preferences for involvement in database cancellations and to determine if those preferences are a function of knowledge about the library and/or discipline of study.