Shelf Life: News From the Loyola University Libraries

A Closer Look: The Cost Behind "Free" Resources

The University Libraries is dedicated to helping members of the Loyola community with their research needs. The libraries have access to about 20,000 online journals and 200 research databases in addition to the more than 2,800 print journals. These journals and databases are free of charge to library patrons, yet the cost of subscribing to many of them increases regularly. In fact, journal subscriptions tend to rise 7 to 9 percent annually. Below are a few examples of subscription costs compared to consumer products.

If you had $2,500 to spend, would you buy...
a Hawaiian cruise package that costs $2,299	or a one-year subscription to Human Molecular Genetics for $2,430?
If you had $6,000, would you buy....
a 60" Flat-Panel Plasma HDTV ($5,999)	or a one-year online-only subscription to one of a number of new online journals the Libraries have purchased, such as The Atmospheric Environment ($5,947)?

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