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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