The Knight Library will discontinue some scholarly journals and databases next year in an effort to move the library toward a more progressive information model, but some worry about the change’s impact on student research and access to information.
The decision to cut some journals is not based on budget strains, according to a statement from University Provost Jim Bean. The library budget has increased $200,000 during the current fiscal year and raised nearly $20 million during Campaign Oregon, which ended Jan. 30.
Rather, Bean said the move is meant to sever some University ties with the for-profit scholarly publishing business, which Bean and others say is not cost-effective for the University. The price of scholarly sources increases 7 to 10 percent each year, Bean said.
The decision about the scholarly sources being removed has not been well-received by some. David Frank, dean of the Robert D. Clark Honors College, said some faculty members were “horrified and deeply, deeply anguished.”
To reduce the number of journals and databases that will need to be cut, Bean is allocating $300,000 to the library. One-third of that amount is being funded by the athletic department’s fall television revenue, Bean said.
Thus far, 29 databases and many journals have been identified for discontinuation, although the final number has not been set for either.
Frank is part of the Deans’ Working Group, which has collaborated with Bean on the decision. Frank said it is a good idea for the University to distance itself from for-profit publishing. Journal publishers don’t pay the scholars who write the articles, Frank said, and make tremendous profits through subscriptions, while their contributors and editorial reviewers don’t receive any compensation.
The model, while traditional, isn’t good for researchers and contributors, Frank said. He said the library hopes to move from the traditional set-up to an “open source” model.
In open source publishing, people publish their own works on the Internet and everyone has access to them for free.
Jamie Frey-Frankenfield, a senior in the honors college who is writing a thesis, said she has used scholarly journals every term she has been in college. “I think they’re a really convenient source and give really easy access,” she said.
For her, using open source research isn’t an option so far because she doesn’t know how to access it. “I’ve never even heard of that,” she said.
Mark Blaine, a journalism professor who taught Information Gathering for six years and served on the library committee, said open source publishing “is turning peer-review on its head.” It is the new wave of scholarly research, and it is a good idea for the University’s library to follow, he said.
Blaine said the entire world of research and libraries is in flux and libraries are becoming managers of digital information.
He said he does not expect next year’s change will affect many Information Gathering students, but he expects it will affect older undergraduate students and graduate students. Although alternative sources are opening up, he said, the reduction of available sources in Knight Library would make research more challenging and reduce direct access.
University senior Duncan Robb worried about the same issue. He is writing a thesis that deals with religion and politics in 17th- and 18th-century Great Britain. “You need obscure information,” he said, noting that scholarly journals are usually where unusual information is found.
The University is supposed to be a research university, Robb said, and students come here for that reason. A lack of resources may make students regret their decision to attend the University, he said.
Frank, the honors college dean, said he is worried about thesis students like Frey-Frankenfield who might be affected by the change next year. All honors college seniors are required to write a thesis.
Although Frank said he realized the library must move away from traditional publishing to save money and resist scholarly journal exploitation, he said he is worried about the move.
“I’m very concerned,” he said, “because we all agree the library is the heart and soul of the University.”
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