Update - March 22, 2019

Elsevier changes are now in effect. As of today, Elsevier has discontinued FSU’s access to all titles that are not subscribed for 2019 and blocked all previously leased journals on the Science Direct platform.

If you have specific questions about Elsevier, contact Valerie Boulos via email: vlboulos@fsu.edu or departmental subject librarian.

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Update - February 28, 2019

Elsevier has signed the agreement with FSU Libraries for subscriptions to 150 of the most important Elsevier titles. So far in 2019, we have continued to have access to all Elsevier titles that we subscribed to in 2018 but we expect to lose Science Direct access to all leased Elsevier journals and subscriptions that were not renewed by Friday, March 1st. As access to Elsevier content for 2019 changes, FSU will provide the following:

Access to 150 of the most important Elsevier subscriptions;

Access to all previously subscribed Elsevier journals;

Access to ClinicalKey with 10 years of the most current medical and biomedical journal content;

Access to all non-subscribed content via the Expedited Article Service and Interlibrary Loan.

We will closely monitor the faculty and graduate requests for articles outside of the subscribed titles and make any necessary adjustments to subscriptions.

If you have specific questions about Elsevier, contact Valerie Boulos via email: vlboulos@fsu.edu.

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Original Post - November 2018

In 2018, the Florida State University Libraries subscribed to $2 million worth of Elsevier journals as part of a statewide license agreement for a multi-title bundle. This bundle provides electronic access to Elsevier’s full catalog of over 1800 titles, but the price has risen dramatically in recent years. For the past year, the University Libraries, Faculty Senate Library Committee and entire Faculty Senate have discussed what action would be in the best interest of the university going forward. In March, the Faculty Senate voted unanimously to support the Libraries’ decision to reduce Elsevier costs by subscribing to the most highly used critical Elsevier titles.

In April, University Libraries expressed a willingness to Elsevier to consider viable options if FSU’s costs could be reduced. Negotiations throughout 2018 have been unsuccessful. By breaking away from the statewide agreement, FSU expects to spend $1M in 2019 and subscribe to fewer journals but continue to provide access to all previously available material through alternate sources.

Our Library faculty have been working with academic departments to identify journal subscriptions within the $1M expenditure target that are most important to their research. The final list of 2019 subscriptions has been sent to Elsevier. Throughout 2019, the library will closely monitor the new service and make necessary adjustments as needed. If you or your faculty have difficulty accessing any journals, please let your subject librarian know immediately. A list of departmental subject librarians is available.

The FSU Libraries are committed to providing the best possible resources and services to faculty and students and are implementing the following strategies to mitigate any inconvenience or concerns: