13 February 2018

Dear Mr Chesher and colleagues

We write as representatives of the academic library community within the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. We wish to state our opposition to the proposed change of contract for the licensing and access to the Taylor & Francis journal package presently available to universities and colleges.

Taylor and Francis has been a respected publisher and a producer of many quality journals which have been purchased and licensed over the years to academic institutions. A partnership approach has proved to be important for academic authors, editors, the publisher and libraries to enable efficient dissemination of academic research. It is therefore surprising that the current Taylor & Francis licensing offer does not appear to be in the interest of universities and their researchers nor the interests of Taylor & Francis.

A “moving wall” approach for non-subscribed titles within the journal package will increase administration activities and costs substantially for libraries and for Taylor & Francis, impose direct additional licensing costs, and create confusion and annoyance for your customers and our reader communities. In each previous licence agreement we have resourced “big deal” access for the current year and for the period back to 1997, the beginning of the born digital record. Diminishing this coverage is opportunistic and potentially profiteering within a sector which is recognised to enjoy substantial profit margins at present as it greatly monetises the outputs and inputs of publicly-funded research.

This change in purchasing model continues to be pursued by Taylor & Francis against our guidance and wishes. This is not how valued customers are treated. We further observe that professional and learned societies which publish via Taylor & Francis will be equally concerned about the placement of their volumes in a restricted archive that cannot be accessed any longer by conventionally licensed institutions. This is likely to lead to less use and fewer citations for this material. We continue to fail to see how this is in your interests.

We understand that Taylor & Francis have been selective in not imposing this change throughout its global client base. We strongly urge you to reconsider this approach for the UK, as soon as possible, and return to the accepted model of licensing digital material, largely since 1997, in a single accessible format.

Yours sincerely,

Emma Adamson, Director of Learning Services, University of South Wales

Michelle Anderson, University Librarian, University of Hull

James Anthony-Edwards, Deputy Director (Library and Academic Services), University of Wolverhampton

Leo Appleton, Director of Library Services, Goldsmiths University

David Archer, Head of Library & Archives Service, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Susan Ashworth, Executive Director, Information Services & University Librarian, University of Glasgow

Robert Atkinson, Director of Library Services, Birkbeck University of London

Dr Paul Ayris, Pro-Vice-Provost (Library Services), University College London

Chris Banks, Assistant Provost (Space) & Director of Library Services, Imperial College London

Dr Nick Barratt, Acting Director, Senate House Library, University of London

Simon Bevan, University Librarian, Cranfield University

Debbi Boden-Angell, Director: Information Learning & Estates, York St John University

Elaine Blaxter, University Librarian and Head of Library Services, University of Strathclyde

Phil Brabban, University Librarian and Group Director of Learning Resources, Coventry University

Jason Briddon, Director of Library Services, University of the West of England

Peter Brooks, Head of Library Services, Royal Agricultural University

John Brooks Howard, University Librarian, University College Dublin

Diane Bruxvoort, Library, University Librarian and Director of Special Collections and Museums, University of Aberdeen

Margaret Buchan, Director of Library Services, Robert Gordon University

Ajay Burlingham-Bohr, Chief Information Officer, Birmingham City University

Stella Butler, University Librarian and Keeper of the Brotherton Collection, University of Leeds

Maria Carnegie, Head of Library & Learner Support, University of Derby

Lesley Castens, Head of Library and Digital Support, University of Plymouth

Jeanette Castle, Library Services Manager, University of the West of Scotland

Alison Chojna, Head of Library and Learning Resources, London South Bank University

Colin Coghill, Director of Information Services | Information Services, University of Cumbria

John Cox, University Librarian, National University of Ireland, Galway

Sue David, Head of Library and Learning Services, St George's University of London

Louise Doolan, Director of Library Services, City, University of London

Regina Everitt, Interim Director of Library and Learning Resources, SOAS University of London

Christine Fowler, Head of Library & Learning Support and University Librarian, Bournemouth University

Dr Jessica Gardner, University Librarian and Director of Library Services, Cambridge University

Nick Goodfellow, Director of Library & Learning Resources, Leeds Trinity University

Robin Green, Librarian, University of Warwick

Roisin Gwyer, University Librarian, University of Portsmouth

Robert Hall, Director of Library Services, King’s College London

Alison Harding, Executive Head of Library and Learning Resources, University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Jane Harvell, Interim University Librarian, University of Sussex

James Hodgkin, Associate Director and University Librarian, University of Gloucestershire

Libby Homer, Director (Library and Learning Services), University of East London

Anne Horn, Director of Library Services & University Librarian, The University of Sheffield

Mark Hughes, Head of Library Services, Cardiff Metropolitan University

Jim Huntingford, Head of Library Services, Abertay University

Ruth Jenkins, University Librarian, Manchester Metropolitan University

Diane Job, Director of Library Services, University of Birmingham

Rosie Jones, Director of Library Services, The Open University

Judith Keene, University Librarian, University of Worcester

Kate Kelly, Director of Library Services, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Philip Kent, Director of Library Services & University Librarian, University of Bristol

Steven Kerr, College Librarian, The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

Matthew Lawson, Deputy Director of Library & Student Support, Middlesex University

Nicholas Lewis, Library Director, University of East Anglia

Peter Linnitt, Librarian, Royal College of Music

Caroline Lloyd, Director of Libraries & Curriculum Support, University of Westminster

Alison Mackenzie, Dean of Learning Services, Edge Hill University

Pete Maggs, Director of Library Services and Learning Development, Lancaster University

Elizabeth Malone, Head of Content Development and Co-director – Library and Learning Services, Kingston University

Darlene Maxwell, Head of Library Services, Royal College of Art

Kathy McCabe, Director of Information Services, Heriot-Watt University

Cathal McCauley, University Librarian, Maynooth University

John MacColl, University Librarian & Director of Library Services, University of St Andrews

Martin McCrindle, Interim Director of Information Services, University of Stirling

Colette McKenna, Director of Library Services, University College Cork

Cath Morgan, Assistant Director, Information Services, University of Brighton

Elaine Mulholland, University Librarian, St Mary’s University College, Belfast

Julia Munro, University Librarian, University of Reading

Anna O’Neill, Director of Learning and Information Services, University of Chichester

Gobnait O'Riordan, Director, Library and Information Services, University of Limerick

Richard Ovenden, Bodley's Librarian, University of Oxford

David J Parkes, Director of Library and Learning Services, De Montfort University

Caroline Parsons, eresources Librarian, Leeds Trinity University

Fiona Parsons, Director of Academic Support, University of Wolverhampton

Richard Parsons, Director of the LLC & CI, University Librarian, University of Dundee

Janet Peden, University Librarian, Ulster University.

Janet Peters, Director of University Libraries and University Librarian, Cardiff University

Christine Porter. Library. Director of Library and Learning Services, Newman University

Chris Powis, Head of Library and Learning Services, The University of Northampton

Clare Powne, Head of Library & Culture Services, University of Exeter

Andrew Preater, Director of Library Services, University of West London

Chris Pressler, University Librarian and Director, Irish Modern Archives Research Centre, Dublin City University

Kate Price, University Librarian, Queen Mary University of London

Ruth Priest, University Librarian, University of the Highlands and Islands

David Prosser, Executive Director, RLUK

Paul Reynolds, University Librarian, Keele University

Kate Robinson, University Librarian, University of Bath

Ann Rossiter, Executive Director, SCONUL

Anne Rowlands, University Librarian, Regent’s University London

Emma Sansby, Head of Library Services, Bishop Grosseteste University

Jane Savidge, Executive Director, Student Experience (interim), University of Southampton

Alison Stevenson, Head of Learning Resources, The Glasgow School of Art

Jo Rowley, Head of Learning Services, Queen Margaret University

Robert Ruthven, Director of Library Services, Glasgow Caledonian University

Carly Sharples, Head of Library & Learning Support, Norwich University of the Arts

Helen Shenton, Librarian and College Archivist, Trinity College Dublin

Phil Sykes, Director of Libraries, Museums and Galleries, University of Liverpool

Caroline Taylor, University Librarian, University of Leicester

Jill Taylor-Roe, Director of Academic Services and University Librarian, Newcastle University

David Telford, Director of Information Services, Edinburgh Napier University

Caroline Thomas, Director of Library and Learning Support Services, University of Surrey

Heather Thrift, Director, Library Services, Liverpool John Moores University

Mark Toole, Head of Libraries and Learning Resources, Nottingham Trent University

Frank Trew, College Librarian, Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance

Carol Tully, Pro-Vice Chancellor (students), Bangor University

Jeremy Upton, Director of Library & University Collections, Information Services, University of Edinburgh

Mike Wall, Acting University Librarian, Durham University

Liz Waller, Deputy Director of Information Services and Head of Library and Archives, University of York

Catherine Walsh, Director of Library Services & University Librarian, University of Essex

Emma Walton, Director of Library Services, Loughborough University

Chris Wanley, Director of Library & IT Services, Aston University

Janet Weaver, Head of Library, Staffordshire University

Margaret Weaver, Interim Head of Library Services, Brunel University London

Dr Sue White, Director of Computing and Library Services, University of Huddersfield

Jan Wilkinson, University Librarian & Director of the John Rylands Library, University of Manchester

Steve Williams, University Librarian & Head of Libraries, Archives, Culture and Arts, Swansea University

Marcus Woolley, Director of Learning Resources and Service Excellence, University of Bedfordshire

Nick Woolley, Head of Library Services, Northumbria University

Dr Helen Workman, Director of Learning Resources, Oxford Brookes University

Nicola Wright, Director of LSE Library, London School of Economics and Political Science and Chair of RLUK