Cancellations and Withdrawals

The APU Library is planning how we will navigate the current budget environment in ways that minimize impacts on students and faculty. While we are still in the planning stages and awaiting more details about the full extent of the fiscal year 2024 budget reallocations, one of our strategies is to cancel a selection of our database and journal subscriptions. We are looking at canceling approximately $90,000 in resources to cover the increases for next year.

Each year, Azusa Pacific University Library in partnership with the SCELC Consortium negotiates with publishers and vendors to provide access to the databases and journals that advance APU’s world-changing research and transformative instruction. Unfortunately, the cost of these resources rises by 4-8% annually, far outpacing the rate of inflation and the realistic constraints of university budgets. When we negotiate with publishers, we seek contracts that are affordable, sustainable, and transparent, but sometimes publishers insist on significant increases that far exceed available funding. APU is not alone in challenging these unsustainable increases- academic libraries of all sizes across the nation face the same reality. 

We have dealt with this problem for years, creatively minimizing the impact of subscription cancellations on our faculty and students as we continue good-faith negotiations. 

We know that canceling subscription titles creates challenges for our faculty, researchers, and students. Every effort will be made to retain the most heavily used subscriptions. We will help find alternate means of accessing information whenever possible, and encourage the use of services like Interlibrary Loan. We will deliver more articles upon request, in lieu of a reliance on institutional subscriptions.

In consultation with subject librarians who work with schools, the college and the programs and disciplines in each, we are reviewing cost per use data and other metrics in an effort to identify the cancellations that will have the least impact on teaching and research. With their input and supporting data, we will compile a list of resources that will be canceled over the coming months.

More information about the specific resources being canceled will be available by the start of the fall term.

Cancellation of these resources does not necessarily mean that you will lose access to the resources that you need for your teaching, research, or studies. By canceling journal and database subscriptions as we’ve described above, we are shifting the model for these resources away from one of ownership to one of access. The information resources you need will still be available to you, but the route to access them may change.

Our Interlibrary Loan service (ILL) will be your go-to source for many canceled resources. By using ILL, you will still be able to access many of the articles you need, but they may be sourced from collections outside APU. Reaching out to your liaison librarian when you need to obtain hard-to-find resources is also essential. Our liaison librarians are here to help you!

The Library has made efforts to minimize the impact on student learning, as well as faculty teaching and research. Please read through our FAQs. If you have any questions, please let us know.