Managing Library Collections
Building and developing the broad and in-depth collections necessary to support research and instruction across campus is one of the UCLA Library's four key priorities.
However, the cost of such collecting continues to grow at rates far exceeding inflation, while collection budgets cannot keep pace. To address this problem, the Library is pursuing multiple strategies. Partnering with other libraries, particularly in the UC system, leverages purchasing power, and shared acquisition and preservation strategies also help manage expenses. Subject specialists engage in rigorous collection planning and assessment to ensure that the collections are aligned with users' needs and support academic areas. Soliciting donations to create collection endowments ensures funding for future purchases.
Although cutting costs and raising funds is effective as a short-term solution, the long-term solution requires changes to the traditional model of scholarly and scientific publishing, and this will require support and involvement from faculty at UCLA and universities across the country. There are simple steps each author, whether faculty, researcher, or graduate student, can take to support lower-cost journals and open-access pre- and post-print repositories. And UCLA Library staff members are available to help suggest options and offer assistance.
Information on specific collection issues is available through the links below.
