Can Jesuit universities buy journal subscriptions together?
Journal publishers base subscription fees on the number of students, staff, and faculty at the institution and a multi-institution subscription would not realize meaningful savings. Added to this is the complexity of authenticating online access for the group subscription, administering group payment, and accessing and breaking down usage statistics.
What is common is membership to one or more academic library consortia, which are organized for the purpose of negotiating pricing with vendors. In this way, there is a discounted rate for the products, yet each institution subscribes individually. Creighton University Libraries is a member of several consortia, including Lyrasis and the Nebraska Library Commission. The Jesuit universities have not established an academic library consortium due to existing memberships with geographic consortia and the heterogeneity of our institutions. Academic libraries of our Jesuit universities do meet regularly and evaluate opportunities for collaboration and cost savings.