Big Deals and Little Deals—What’s the Deal? A Data Analysis from University of South Florida
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2025
Keywords
Big Deals, budget cuts, collections analysis, journal package assessment, unbundling
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1080/00987913.2025.2582238
Abstract
In Fall 2020, during the journal renewal cycle, the University of South Florida Libraries was asked to do a Budget Revisioning process with a goal of reducing the library budget’s expenditures by 15%. After years of flat budgets and staff attrition, Library Administration decided to take the cuts primarily from the collections side. This article outlines the Libraries’ methodology in reviewing bundled journal packages utilizing usage statistics to compare the yearly subscription cost versus interlibrary loan and copyright fees, taking into account perpetual access and the libraries’ owned print collections. The packages varied from small, subject-based to Big Deal packages with multiple subject areas. This article analyzes the cost for unbundling and canceling journal subscriptions and discusses the rationale for final decisions to retain or unbundle.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Serials Review, v. 51, issue 3-4, p. 202-212
Scholar Commons Citation
Bomberger, Rachel and Borchert, Carol Ann, "Big Deals and Little Deals—What’s the Deal? A Data Analysis from University of South Florida" (2025). Tampa Library Faculty and Staff Publications. 62.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/tlib_facpub/62
