One year after cancelling subscriptions to 2,116 journal titles published by Springer Nature, Université de Montréal Libraries have been forced to cancel more subscriptions. Its Springer collection is thus reduced from 150 to 143 titles (list of changes)
Springer Nature 2017 journals’ pricing is 48% higher than the Canadian Price Consumer Index for the same period. The only option for libraries to contain costs increase was to cancel further subscriptions. Therefore, the pool of available Springer Nature journals is likely to shrink year after year, if the publisher continues to apply the same inflationary increases.
Springer Nature still refuses to consider UdeM’s fair-price model for the bundle, despite the fact that this model was adopted by other publishers with whom UdeM Libraries have reached agreements (John Wiley & Sons, Sage Publications and Cambridge Scientific Publishers Ltd).
UdeM Libraries is well aware of the impacts caused by the loss of direct and instant access to the articles published in cancelled journals. However, these articles will remain accessible, at no charge, through the inter-library loan service (email delivery within 2 business days).
QUICK FACTS
- In 2015, Springer and Nature merged, creating an entity with annual revenues of around $2.2 billion. Springer was already one of the five publishers controlling more than half of the scholarly publishing market. This merger increased universities’ dependency on this publisher.
UdeM Libraries will renew access to 143 journals out of the 2,254 in the Springer Nature “Big Deal” package. Among those 2,254 titles, a survey conducted with the university community established that only 256 titles (or 11.6%) within the Springer collection are needed for research and teaching at UdeM.
Journal issues from all Springer titles published before 2016 will remain accessible.
- 41 % of the printed or accessed articles in 2015 -last year of subscription to the whole package of Springer’s titles-, are still available through our current subscription.
- A recent article published by a group of author, which UdeM’s searcher Vincent Larivière is a member, reveals that 34% of the articles published by Springer are also available in open access.
Springer Nature CEO is Mr. Derk Haank, and president of international sales is Mr. Syed Hasan. Their contact information does not appear on the publisher’s website.
Our contact person is:
- Maria Lopes – Vice-president – Library Sales, Latin America & The Caribbean (maria.lopes@springer.com)
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Stéphanie Gagnon, Head of Collections