Canadian university libraries threatened by soaring academic publisher prices | rabble.ca

"In December, Memorial University in Newfoundland announced planned cuts to thousands of journal subscriptions. Soon after, the library and archives at Toronto's Ryerson University also said there would be similar cuts ahead due to an 'enduring budget crisis' for academic libraries across the country. Western University, University of Calgary and Mount Allison University have echoed these same concerns. The news brought into focus issues of control and ownership in academic publishing, particularly the struggle faced by academic libraries to maintain journal subscriptions in the face of rising costs imposed by a small number of companies and a low Canadian dollar. If academic libraries are not able to subscribe to these journals, then this leaves students and faculty without access to valuable information. For critics of the current system, large publishers provide little actual value and meagre services in light of profits earned, though that perception is not limited to academia ..."