University
of Wisconsin-
Madison
Libraries
Homepage

Association
of Research
Libraries
Homepage

Measuring the Cost-Effectiveness of Journals:
Ten Years After Barschall

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries have been conducting cost studies of journals since the 1980s. This study focuses on journal costs in the subject disciplines of economics, neuroscience and physics. The article focuses on the late Henry Barschall's methodology for measuring the cost per thousand characters of journal content and Wisconsin's ongoing effort to apply cost measures to the management of the journal collections.

This article was prepared by George Soete, a Consultant affiliated with the Association of Research Libraries and Athena Salaba, a PhD Candidate in the UW-Madison School of Library and Information Studies. Soete places the Wisconsin cost-effectiveness efforts in the broader library-community context. Salaba conducted the 1998 update study and is responsible for the section on methodology and the data.

Neuroscience Data Tables
Table I.C., Table II.C., Table III.C.
[Microsoft Excel 97 Format]

The journal studies of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries are intended to serve the academic community by expanding our knowledge about the cost-effectiveness of scholarly communication and honor the memory of Professor Henry Barschall, who pioneered the study of journal costs despite legal harassment and attacks on his reputation.

Gifts to the Barschall Studies Fund can be made to the University of Wisconsin Foundation, 1848 University Avenue, P.O. Box 8860, Madison, WI 53708-8860.

All inquiries about the UW-Madison journal cost studies should be sent to:

Kenneth L. Frazier,
Director UW-Madison General Library System

Updated 12/7/99