The Vision

Universal access to library services and information resources.

The Goal

A comprehensive collection of print and electronic resources and services . . . where faculty, students, and staff can obtain the information they want, when they want it, and in the format most appropriate to their need, regardless of where that information is physically located.

1998 Collaborative Activities of Note

• Academic Library Collection Enhancement Program ($1.0 million PUF) enabled purchase of books and some electronic materials through a shared collection process to enhance scholarly resources available from UT Austin to all System libraries
• UT System Digital Library provides citation and full-text resources, including almost 300 electronic journals
  • Funding supported 100% from library operating budgets at $1.3 million
  • Resources are NOT available at all components due to local financial constraints
• UT System Digital Library website established
  • Features online resources, exhibits, tutorials, and user assistance
  • Supports UT TeleCampus in serving distance learners
• New integrated library systems installed in 5 component libraries
• UT Austin library accepts invitation to join the Digital Library Federation
  • National initiative which includes 18 research libraries, the Library of Congress and the National Archives
  • Opportunity for participation in national level projects on behalf of the UT System Digital Library

Priorities for 1999-2002

Assumptions
• Information in both print and electronic format is essential to today's and tomorrow's research and scholarship. Electronic resources are complementing, not replacing, print.
• Archival mechanisms for many electronic scholarly research resources will not exist; requires continuation of print format
• Publishing output and costs of materials for both print and electronic resources will continue to rise
• Libraries will continue to make effective use of resource sharing programs, such as the UT System Digital Library and TexShare, for scholarly research material
• Digital library content should be available System-wide; currently it is not
• Digital library information products are licensed annually; requires ongoing funding with built-in inflation factor

Publishing Trends and Realities
• There are more journals published each year . . . each year UT System libraries subscribe to fewer of them
  • Journal publishing increased 68% from 1990 to 1997
  • In 1990, there were 112,000 journals published worldwide; UT Austin libraries subscribed to 31,000 or 27%
  • In 1997, there were 165,000 journals published worldwide; UT Austin libraries subscribed to 26,700, or 16%
  • In 1998, approximately 8,700 electronic journals were published; UT Austin libraries subscribed to 744, or 8%
• There are more books published each year . . . each year UT System libraries buy fewer of them
  • Most of the UT System libraries collection budgets are spent on journals. Because of high inflation rates for printed journals, expenditures for them threaten to unbalance the collection
• UT System libraries increasingly must rely on inter-library loan for scholarly research material
  • From 1991 to 1997, interlibrary borrowing by UT Austin libraries increased an average of 20% annually
• Since 1986 journals have risen in price 169%, books 63% . . . and the UT System libraries cannot keep up

Short Term Goals (1999-2000)
• Ongoing System-wide funds to develop core content of UT System Digital Library
  • Annual funding required
    • $4.5 million, with 15% annual increase (includes inflation and modest growth of content)
  • Content expectations
    • Double citation databases from current 11 to about 20
    • Triple electronic journal resources from current 300 to 900
    • Increase reference materials from one online encyclopedia to approximately 10 full-text resources
• Component-level collection budgets that are adequate to support instruction and research needs on each campus and continued funding of the Academic Library Collection Enhancement Program

Long Term Goals (2001-2002)
• Ongoing System-wide funds to develop comprehensive content of UT System Digital Library
  • Annual funding required
    • $7.5 million, with 20% annual increase (includes inflation and systematic development of content)
  • Content expectations
    • Use core content as a base, and systematically acquire 15% of the supporting electronic journals and close to 60% coverage of the primary databases for most subject disciplines, in addition to a well-rounded set of general reference, multi-disciplinary resources
• Component-level collection budgets that are adequate to support instruction and research needs on each campus and continued funding of the Academic Library Collection Enhancement Program