From: "Hulbert, Linda A." <[log in to unmask]>:
Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2012 16:15:06 +0000

This library does not cancel online journal subscriptions in the
presence of content in one of our subscribed aggregators.  Having said
that, I'm sure we have on occasion, but as Collection Development
Librarian I advise against doing that.  I'm not doing it out of some
sort of loyalty to publishers (or EBSCO agreements with publishers),
but because the aggregators are super unreliable.  Today the titles
are there, tomorrow they are not. Today we have access back to 1997,
tomorrow with aggregated content we have access from 1997-1999. If we
make the decision to  cancel a little used title, we are able to
soften the blow by indicating that some of the content is available
through an aggregator but we would not cancel just because it is
available through an aggregator - that also holds true when the
publisher puts some part of the content free at their website. We have
canceled titles in the presence of free content, but only in the case
where the title is peripheral to the collections. Our subscriptions
entitle us, in most cases, to post cancelation access to the content
to which we have subscribed.  In the case of aggregator content when
the title is gone, it's just gone. I won't cite examples, we all have
them.

As for new subscriptions, the presence in an aggregator database often
gives us data on potential use. That data would be invaluable for
making the decision on whether or not to establish a library
subscription.

Linda

Linda Hulbert, Associate Director
        Collection Management and Services
O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library #5004
University of Saint Thomas
St. Paul, MN 55105
email: [log in to unmask]