Union supports journal subscriptions campaign
Council passes policy demanding publishing companies reduce their costs
The Union has publicly condemned the behavior of large academic journal publishing companies, claiming that their services are detrimental not only to Imperial, but to the Higher Education sector in general.
Currently, about 50% of Imperial College Library’s budget is spent on journals, which are either provided on an individual basis or as part of a larger deal through a publishing company, which instead allows staff and students access to thousands of academic references.
At the most recent Union Council meeting, which took place on the 13th June, a policy was passed outlining the Union’s dissatisfaction against publishing companies, with specific reference and heavy criticism made towards the journal pricing of Elsevier and Wiley-Blackwell.
In a note brought to the Council meeting by Deputy President (Education) Alex Dahinten, mention is made of publishing companies being “aware of the need for their product, which is reflected in the pricing,” moving on to explain that subscription prices rise by about 6% per year.
Dahinten argued that over-priced journal subscriptions are compromising the Library’s ability to provide a service to academics and students at Imperial.
Director of Library Services Deborah Shorley is supportive of the Union’s position on the matter, remarking that the Library is “very grateful to [the Union] for its support.”
“We are determined to do all we can to safeguard access to the information resources. Our students and researchers need to do their work but we don’t underestimate the task ahead of us so it’s great to know that the Imperial student body is right behind us.”
