Academic journals costs & use

The request was successful.

Dear Birmingham City University,

This is an information request under the Freedom of Information Act of 2000.

I would like to be provided with the following information about academic/scientific journals specifically. For the latest ten financial or calendar years available:

#1 - How much the institution has been spending annually for all of its subscribed online access to academic journals for each publisher the institution has any academic journal subscription with? Per year?

#2 - How much the institution has been spending annually for each individually-subscribed journal (“à la carte”, not part of a bundle package)? What are these journals (their title?) and how much were they each year?

#3 - What is the number of successful full-text article requests for each subscribed journal (and its title) for each of the latest ten financial or calendar years? Note: I would like the data as well even if a given journal was not part of the university’s academic journal subscriptions at some point during that decade, either because of a subscription that happened later or because of the cancellation of a subscription. If so, please indicate it clearly for the year for which it applies (for instance, with an “X”, “Not subscribed”, etc.).

Please provide the data in a data file format like .csv .xslx, etc. Unless it would be much easier or quicker for you otherwise, please provide the requested data in three separate documents (one for Question #1, another for #2, and the last one for #3).

Some parts of this request may be easier to answer than others, and should this prove to be the case I would ask that you release available data as soon as possible rather than hold up the entire request.

Please let me know if my request exceeds the resources limit levelled by the FOI Act of 2000, and I would be glad to narrow it down. It is legally required for the institution to let me know if that is the case.

As well, if you need any clarification, then please contact me via email. Under your section 16 duty to provide advice and assistance I would expect you to contact me if you find this request unmanageable in any way.

I thank you very much, please do not hesitate to contact me if needed.

Yours faithfully,

Steve Carufel

Freedom of Information Act, Birmingham City University

Dear Steve

 

RE: INFORMATION REQUEST DATED 8 MARCH 2018

REF: FOI00691

 

Thank you for your request for information about academic/scientific
journals. Your request was received on 8 March 2018 and we are dealing
with it under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

 

Please accept our apologies for the delay in responding to you which has
been due to staff capacity issues. If we are unable to respond to the
request or if the University does not hold the information or if there is
a reason for it to be withheld we will write to you with the reasons why.

 

If you have any queries or concerns about the process, please do not
hesitate to contact us. Otherwise we will write to you as soon as a full
response is available.

 

Information Management Team

Birmingham City University

15 Bartholomew Row

Birmingham

B5 5JU

 

T: 0121 300 5288

E: [1][Birmingham City University request email]

 

 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[Birmingham City University request email]

Freedom of Information Act, Birmingham City University

Freedom of Information Act would like to recall the message, "INFORMATION REQUEST FOI695".

Freedom of Information Act, Birmingham City University

Dear Steve

 

RE: INFORMATION REQUEST DATED 8 MARCH 2018

REF: FOI00695

 

Thank you for your request for information about academic/scientific
journals. Your request was received on 8 March 2018 and we are dealing
with it under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

 

Please accept our apologies for the delay in responding to you which has
been due to staff capacity issues. If we are unable to respond to the
request or if the University does not hold the information or if there is
a reason for it to be withheld we will write to you with the reasons why.

 

If you have any queries or concerns about the process, please do not
hesitate to contact us. Otherwise we will write to you as soon as a full
response is available.

 

Information Management Team

Birmingham City University

15 Bartholomew Row

Birmingham

B5 5JU

 

T: 0121 300 5288

E: [1][Birmingham City University request email]

 

 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[Birmingham City University request email]

Freedom of Information Act, Birmingham City University

Dear Steve

 

INFORMATION REQUEST DATED 8 MARCH 2018

FOI695

 

Further to your request for information please see our response below.

 

REQUEST

 

I would like to be provided with the following information about
academic/scientific journals specifically. For the latest ten financial or
calendar years available:

 

#1 - How much the institution has been spending annually for all of its
subscribed online access to academic journals for each publisher the
institution has any academic journal subscription with? Per year?

 

#2 - How much the institution has been spending annually for each
individually-subscribed journal (“à la carte”, not part of a bundle
package)? What are these journals (their title?) and how much were they
each year?

 

#3 - What is the number of successful full-text article requests for each
subscribed journal (and its title) for each of the latest ten financial or
calendar years? Note: I would like the data as well even if a given
journal was not part of the university’s academic journal subscriptions at
some point during that decade, either because of a subscription that
happened later or because of the cancellation of a subscription. If so,
please indicate it clearly for the year for which it applies (for
instance, with an “X”, “Not subscribed”, etc.).

 

Please provide the data in a data file format like .csv .xslx, etc. Unless
it would be much easier or quicker for you otherwise, please provide the
requested data in three separate documents (one for Question #1, another
for #2, and the last one for #3).

 

Some parts of this request may be easier to answer than others, and should
this prove to be the case I would ask that you release available data as
soon as possible rather than hold up the entire request.

 

Please let me know if my request exceeds the resources limit levelled by
the FOI Act of 2000, and I would be glad to narrow it down. It is legally
required for the institution to let me know if that is the case.

 

RESPONSE

 

In response to these requests, internal enquiries were commenced within
our Library and Learning Resources department.  However, it has become
apparent to be able to fully respond to your request for information, in
addition to electronic records we will have to review records that are
paper based and it would necessitate going through 10 years’ worth of
paper documentation to fully determine what information we hold within
these records in response to your request.

 

Under section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act we are not obliged to
comply with a request when it is estimated the cost of complying would
exceed the appropriate limit. In this case the time in determining whether
any information relevant to this request is held within the paper records
is estimated to exceed 18 hours during which time staff would be diverted
from carrying out their other duties and responsibilities. In this case we
are therefore unable to confirm or deny if we hold the information within
these records you have requested.  If you do wish to refine your request,
for example, for a smaller time period or for a sample period, we can
undertake a reasonable search to see what, if any, relevant records are
held. For example, we could search a specified 6 month period of the paper
records. If you do wish to refine your request we would be happy to
discuss this and the terms/scope with you.

 

 

If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the
right to ask for an internal review.  Requests for an internal review
should be made to the Information Governance Manager at
[1][Birmingham City University request email] or by writing to: Information Governance
Manager, Birmingham City University, 15 Bartholomew Row, Birmingham, B5
5JU.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. Please see [2]https://ico.org.uk/concerns/getting/ for details
of their procedure. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

 

 

Information Management Team

Birmingham City University

15 Bartholomew Row

Birmingham

B5 5JU

 

T: 0121 300 5288

E: [3][Birmingham City University request email]

 

 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[Birmingham City University request email]
2. https://ico.org.uk/concerns/getting/
3. mailto:[Birmingham City University request email]

Dear Freedom of Information Act,

Yes, I would like to discuss refining my request with you, hopefully I will receive more assistance and advice before the office is to be silent and treating my request for the next 20 business days. Please be in touch with me if that is the case, and of course, I am happy to discuss this over the phone it that can make it easier for everyone.

I would like to reduce the period to 5 years instead of 10.

I am looking to know (a) to which packages and databases and individually-subscribed journals the university is subscribing, and (b) the cost of those items if costs can be broken down this way. If commercial sensitivity is to be an issue, I would be interested in knowing the object of subscription anyway please (title/name of all individually-subscribed journals / packages / database), and leave the financial information for this item blank.

I would also appreciate a total expenditure per financial year on journals and database material. (One figure per year, grand total).

And for #3 (c), can it be done for, say, the 5 or 10 largest publishers? By that, I mean those with either the most titles or the most expensive packages (will probably be publishers like Elsevier, Springer, Taylor & Francis, Wiley, etc.).

Would that make more sense? Please advise and assist! Again, I am happy to discuss this over the phone if that is preferable of course.

Yours sincerely,

Steve Carufel

Freedom of Information Act, Birmingham City University

6 Attachments

Dear Steve

INFORMATION REQUEST 19 APRIL 2017

REF: FOI695

 

Thank you for your refined information request to cover a period of 5
years, our response is set out below:

 

REQUEST 1

 

I am looking to know (a) to which packages and databases and
individually-subscribed journals the university is subscribing, and (b)
the cost of those items if costs can be broken down this way. If
commercial sensitivity is to be an issue, I would be interested in knowing
the object of subscription anyway please (title/name of all
individually-subscribed journals / packages / database), and leave the
financial information for this item blank.

 

RESPONSE 1

 

Information provided in the attached spreadsheets

 

REQUEST 2

 

I would also appreciate a total expenditure per financial year on journals
and database material. (One figure per year, grand total).

 

RESPONSE 2

 

Total journals costs for the past five financial years (with 2017-18 being
a mixture of actual costs where available and projected costs where not):

+-------------------+
|2013-14|£468,660.48|
|-------+-----------|
|2014-15|£486,369.76|
|-------+-----------|
|2015-16|£504,997.38|
|-------+-----------|
|2016-17|£520,572.22|
|-------+-----------|
|2017-18|£546,510.37|
+-------------------+

 

 

REQUEST 3

 

And for #3 (c), can it be done for, say, the 5 or 10 largest publishers?
By that, I mean those with either the most titles or the most expensive
packages (will probably be publishers like Elsevier, Springer, Taylor &
Francis, Wiley, etc.).

 

RESPONSE 3

 

The breakdown by publisher for individually subscribed journals is not
possible, but it is possible to sort the packages/databases spreadsheet as
attached for 1) to give this data.

 

 

If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the
right to ask for an internal review.  Requests for an internal review
should be made to the Information Governance Manager at
[1][Birmingham City University request email] or by writing to: Information Governance
Manager, Birmingham City University, 15 Bartholomew Row, Birmingham, B5
5JU.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. Please see [2]https://ico.org.uk/concerns/getting/ for details
of their procedure. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

 

 

Information Management Team

Birmingham City University

15 Bartholomew Row

Birmingham

B5 5JU

 

T: 0121 300 5288

E: [3][Birmingham City University request email]

 

 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[Birmingham City University request email]
2. https://ico.org.uk/concerns/getting/
3. mailto:[Birmingham City University request email]

Dear Freedom of Information Act,

Great, thank you very much!

Yours sincerely,

Steve Carufel