Collection Disclosures
The University Libraries are committed to providing our academic community with access to the materials that they need to successfully conduct their research and teaching. This is an increasingly difficult task when publishing outputs have skyrocketed and costs far surpass increases to our collections budget. Even though we have successfully negotiated lower price increases for many core resources, the Libraries still pays more than $15 million a year to provide access to books, research journals, databases, and other scholarly resources (more about our licensing priorities).
The Libraries are engaging in conversations with our academic community, other libraries, and publishers to discuss these challenges and develop more sustainable models for creating, acquiring, and disseminating research. The Libraries present the following information about the cost and usage of major resources in an effort to promote transparency about our spending and support open dialogue with our community.
Collections Budget Overview
Total budget = $15.2M
- Continuing resources (journals/databases) = $11.2M
- One-time funds (books, DVDs, maps, scores, etc.) = $3M
- Access costs (online catalog, interlibrary loan services, collection maintenance) = $1M
Budget information from FY10 - FY24. The Libraries fiscal year runs from July 1-June 30. View data in tabular format.
Major Journal Packages
According to Library Journal's 2024 Periodicals Price Survey, the average 2024 price for journals in scientific disciplines was:
- Chemistry $7,754
- Physics $6,138
- Engineering $5,258
- Biology $4,542
- General Science $2,912
| PUBLISHER | 2021 COST* | % OF COLLECTIONS BUDGET |
| ELSEVIER | $$$$$ | 14% |
| SPRINGER | $$$$ | 8% |
| WILEY | $$$ | 7% |
| TAYLOR & FRANCIS (INFORMA) | $$$ | 4% |
| SAGE | $$ | 2% |
| NATURE | $$ | 1% |
| Clarivate-Web of Science | $$ | 1% |
| IOP Publishing | $$ | 1% |
| SciFinder | $$ | 1% |
| IEEE | $$ | 1% |
| OXFORD | $$ | <1% |
| American Chemical Society | $$ | <1% |
*View additional years and costs for major journal packages.
Procedures for Requesting Access to Public Records at the University of Colorado
Key
$$$$$ More than $2 million
$$$$ $1-2 million
$$$ $500k to $999k
$$ $100k to $499k
$ Less than $100k
What can you do to support the University Libraries?
Support open and equitable access to scholarly literature. Learn more about Open Access and its importance for libraries, researchers, and societies.
- Deposit your work in CU Scholar, CU Boulder’s Open Access institutional repository
- Consider publishing your work in Open Access journals or publications, and use the Libraries Open Access Fund to help offset any associated costs
- Consider using Open Educational Resources or consulting a subject specialist librarian to find library materials to use in your course
- Serve as an editor or peer reviewer for an Open Access journal, or simply educate your scholarly societies and professional organizations about Open Access
- Participate in CU Boulder Open Access Week activities
to the Friends of the Library Fund to support collections and scholarly communication initiatives
Questions?
Contact our Scholarly Communication Librarian, Melissa Cantrell, or Gabrielle Wiersma, Director of Collection Management