Seeking the New Normal: Periodicals Price Survey 2010

The year 2009 will be remembered as one of angst, with the economy dominating news around the world. Few libraries were immune to the extraordinary financial pressures. The library marketplace by year's end was in a weakened position, with prospects of a long recovery at best. Concern persists that even deeper budget cuts will come when federal stimulus money expires in the 2012 budget cycle. Even when the economy improves, increased funds for libraries are not likely to be at the top of the list for new spending priorities. Libraries may not see a "return to normal" once the economy improves. Evidence suggests instead a search for a "new normal," one that requires varied approaches to services and collections. For example, the shift from print to digital is likely to accelerate greatly. The delivery of information might become more important than ownership. Open access business models might become more attractive to avoid the costly venues of commercial publishers. Much of the data reported in the Periodicals Price Survey 2010 outlines the issues that are shaping the journals marketplace. Data is primarily drawn from serial renewals of titles in three ISI databases--Arts and Humanities Citation Index, Social Sciences Citation Index, and Science Citation Index. In addition, data is included on titles in EBSCO's Academic Search Premier. Data is limited to prepriced print titles (as opposed to standing-order or bill-later titles) that can be ordered through a vendor and are current as of January 27, 2010. Cost data for electronic versions of journals is still not uniform enough to include in the pricing survey.