Keeping up with customer needs: Decision-making

on a limited budgetNisha Doshi, Digital Development Publisher, Cambridge University Press @nishadoshi

Simon Ross, Chief Executive, Manchester University PressYvonne Nobis, Head of Science Information Services, University of Cambridge @yvonnenobis

Jennifer Wright, University Publishing Manager, Cambridge University Press @JennWrights#UKSG17

#UKSGcustomerneeds17

Innovations in Scholarly Communication, University of Utrecht

Simon Ross, Chief Executive, Manchester University Press

Decision-making on a limitedbudget - one Library’s perspective

Yvonne Nobis, April 2017

Provision of Science Information Services to the Cambridge Scientific community

Two ‘Affiliate’ Science Libraries – (part of Cambridge University Library ‘legal deposit’ status)

• The Betty and Gordon Moore (University Science Library and Departmental Library of the Faculty of Mathematics)

• The Medical Library (Faculty of Clinical Medicine and NHS East of England)

• Departmental Libraries - 17 other science libraries outside the University Library Structure

Provision of Science Information Services to the Cambridge Scientific community

Challenges• Budgetary constraints – above inflationary price increases • University strategic priorities and their impact, including on ‘library

space’ (includes closure of our sister library)• Increasing user expectations – ‘frontline’ support for Research Council

mandates • Resource discovery increasingly takes place outside the library

Provision of Science Information Services to the Cambridge Scientific community

Solutions – driven by consultation and collaboration• Changes the use of library as space – tenfold increase in user numbers

during the exam term • Streamlining of processes – more time for collection development• Adapting of electronic texts where possible and if desirable• Adaptive research skills programme - including online element

Decision making at a not-for-profit

Jennifer Wright University Publishing Manager, Cambridge University Press@JennWrights

A B

C D

B

“Start-ups”

Commercial

University presses

OSCs & Libraries

Panel themes

Customer Needs

Customer Expectations

Limited Budget

Customers

Librarians

Students

Academics

Learned Societies

Authors

The University?

Limited Budget

Cambridge Assessment and Cambridge University Press, which operate in challenging international markets, represent an increasingly important

source of unrestricted funding for the teaching and research activities of the University

Limited budgetSpend in line with our

mission

 to disseminate knowledge in the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest

international levels of excellence

..and return a profit to support the University’s

activities

So we have to make money to continue to fund teaching and research…

• But some of our customers expect us not to

What would you do? Case study 1: Editorial

• Print & online subscription journal• Currently volunteer run, want to expand readership and reachNeed

• That CUP could take it on and do development work• That their current membership fee income would cover costs• That it would remain subscription (no OA)

Expectation

• Current membership income not enough for low cost solution (e.g. OJS, Ubiquity) with no development work.

• APC model not viable for amount and type of content

Limited Budget

You choose:

Take it on “pro bono”

Develop a new “lightweight” service

Look for additional funding, partners, or models

Provide advice and training, but journal remains self-published

@JennWrights

What would you do? Case study 2: Services

•More streamlined journal submission process with minimal formatting headache•Article versioning and collaborative editingNeed•Instant free access to the tool•Uniformity of experience•Part of service provisionExpectation•Cost per journal per year > annual income of journal in example 1Limited Budget

You choose:

Include as optional service charge (e.g. as tiered APCs)

Get rid of journal submission formatting requirements

Save some costs by training in-house to develop templates ourselves

Don’t do anything

Continue to cover costs, roll out to more journals as need arises

@JennWrights

Some proposed approaches to decision making:

• Involve customers in decision making – what’s most important?Needs

• Raise awareness of the importance of UP income to research and teachingExpectations

• Join up with the University where we can to maximise impact of investment across the research and teaching lifecycle

Limited Budget