Facing the future:Round-up and overview

Stephen TownDirector of Information

University of York

Round-up

• Strategic challenges and tactical responses

• The value proposition• Working together• Bargaining

Speakers’ points: a selection 1

• Gary: “vendor management”• David: “value proposition”• David: “fair pricing”• Martin: “access benefits”• Martin: “complex reality”• Martin: “use price”• Martin: “value for money”

Speakers’ points: a selection 2

• Martin: “brand driven use”• Martin: “open access” 11:38• Tony: “competitive concerns”• Tony: “collaborative working”

• Tony: “reduced overheads”• Sally: “no certainty”• Sally: “content imbalance”

Speakers’ points: a selection 3

• Sally: “sustainable expenditure”

• Sally: “finding failures”• Sally: “new activities”• Sally: “library rethink”• Sally: “special differentiation”

• Sally: “value presentation”• Sally: “relevant indicators”

Lessons from the past?

• Avoid “lose-lose” situations• Don’t get caught in the middle: “blame-blame”

• Neither “fight” nor “flight” reaction• Don’t reward negative behaviours• Failure to influence scholarly communication at any point? Giving it all away?

• Collecting counter-productive evidence?

Cost and Value

“focusing on cost without being able to demonstrate [service] value and quality … leaves the initiative to people whose chief concern is cost-control or profit: the funders and the vendors”

Whitehall, T (1995)

Strategy or tactics: the context

• Resource inflation greater than growth

• Service development demands• Quality and expectation demands• Competitive differentiation?• Low staff inflation

Conclusions 1

• Costs must be controlled– Individually– Institutionally– Collectively

• Purchase choice must shift to value– Quantitative measures insufficient– Qualitative evaluation critical to debate– Understanding of new user behaviours

Conclusions 2

• Maximising return– Better awareness– Active exploitation– Intermediate guidance

• Minimising overheads– Licensing, compliance and bureaucracy– Active engagement with publishers at all levels

– Charging back for University contributions– Managing expectations

Questions?