The cost of journal subscriptions, particularly for major publisher packages, has become unsustainable for universities across North America, with prices expanding beyond many libraries’ budgets.
At the same time, Canadian universities are working through broader budget challenges due to several factors, including pressure on international student enrollments and increased operating costs.
UBC Library’s collections budget is impacted by these two situations. Almost 40 per cent of our budget put toward academic journals goes to package agreements with five large for-profit publishers: Elsevier, Springer, Taylor & Francis, Wiley and Sage. With increased inflation and ongoing fluctuations in the USD/CAD exchange rate, it is especially important for us to look strategically at our spending, and plan for the sustainability of our collections budget into the future.
There is a growing movement among academic institutions to rethink this subscription model, and in many cases, reset the relationship with these five for-profit publishers. In order to sustain the diversity of our collections and avoid future deficits, it is crucial that we join these institutions and adjust how we provide access to serial titles and online publishers moving forward.
Decision and impact
Effective December 31, 2025, UBC Library will end its “all titles” agreement with the publisher Sage, changing how you access some Sage titles moving forward.
We are committed to helping you access the materials you need. UBC Library purchased all of Sage’s backfiles, ensuring you have immediate access to all articles in Sage titles through 2025. New articles within Sage titles we no longer subscribe to will continue to be available through interlibrary loan, which often provides same-day access, or access within one to two days.
This decision was made based on extensive evaluation of usage data in relation to costs. Among the five major serial packages that we subscribe to, the Sage package deal is the least used by UBC researchers. It is also the serial package with the lowest rate of publications by UBC authors, year after year.
On December 31, we will also be ending our current agreement with the Public Library of Science Journals (PLOS). Since 2023, UBC Library was able to support open access articles by UBC authors publishing in PLOS journals. The agreement with PLOS was an annual cost paid by UBC Library that ensured all UBC authors’ APCs were 100% waived. Prior to 2023 these APCs were covered by UBC authors’ research funds, and we are returning to this model.
These decisions apply to all Library users across UBC Vancouver and Okanagan.
Planning for the future
We do not make these decisions lightly and understand that they represent a loss of convenience for some titles.
While budget pressures are the impetus for making this move now, this change is also a principled one. This system is out of step with our values and our budget, and decisive action is needed to help shift the publishing model.
I encourage you to visit our Collections Budget page to learn more about this decision and the extensive data analysis that supported this change. We have developed an FAQ to help answer your questions.
Sincerely,
Susan E. Parker