Campus Libraries Renegotiate JoVE Subscription

October 17, 2017

UPDATE: November 2, 2017

The Campus Libraries are happy to announce that we have been able reach an agreement with JoVE that will allow us to retain access to these resources.  We are grateful for the support of campus as we worked toward a successful resolution, and are pleased that students, faculty and researchers will be able to continue to use this content. 

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Due to an excessive price increase the Campus Libraries will need to cancel our subscription with Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE) at the end of 2017. The cost to continue our subscription is set to increase $30,000 per year, as the publisher attempts to compel us to bundle our existing subscriptions with unneeded content.

The Campus Libraries did attempt to negotiate and research other options with JoVE, but unfortunately a viable solution was unable to be found. Additional options presented to us included a subscription increase of 91% in 2018 with additional double-digit percentage increases for subsequent years, or a subscription increase of $29,000, which would have also included low-demand content.

Publishers are increasingly looking to bundle marginal or low-demand content with more desirable content as a way to maximize profits. Given the current budget landscape, the Campus Libraries are not in a position to absorb price increases of this magnitude without being forced to cancel subscriptions to essential content.

The university will retain access to content purchased during our subscription period and access to JoVE content is also available via PubMed Central with a two-year embargo.  The Campus Libraries fully understand the impact this decision may have on our students, faculty, and researchers who use JoVE. We are prepared to offer assistance in finding alternatives through your liaison librarian. We appreciate your understanding in this matter and will continue to look for ways to provide resources that support teaching, learning and research.

Sincerely,

Doug Way, Associate University Librarian for Collections and Research Services