UW Libraries Negotiates 2023 Contract with Elsevier
Updated January 11, 2023
The Elsevier negotiating team, composed of UW faculty and librarians, has agreed to a journal subscription contract with Elsevier for 2023. The one-year agreement maintains immediate access to articles published in 678 journals on ScienceDirect. The total annual cost for the 2023 Elsevier journal package is $2 Million US, an overall projected cost reduction of $650K USD from the final year of the 2020-2022 contract. Pricing data and the full-text 2023 license will be available on the SPARC Big Deal Knowledge Base. The Libraries will continue to provide faculty, students, and staff access to published articles through alternative access options -- most requested articles are delivered within a few hours or business days.
By reducing subscription costs while maintaining immediate and alternative access to Elsevier journals, the 2023 agreement supports sustainability and provides the Libraries with increased fiscal flexibility for investment in open sharing of knowledge created at the University of Washington. The UW Faculty Senate empowered the negotiating team to prioritize transparent pricing, access and equity, and support for scholarship and teaching by approving a Class C Resolution endorsing discovery and the creation of knowledge described in the UW Libraries’ Principles in Licensing Scholarly Resources. Through the Elsevier Alternative Access Review, representatives from UW colleges, schools, and campuses collaborated with the Libraries to provide feedback on journal titles needed for immediate access to meet patient care needs as well as long-term use for research, teaching, and learning.
The Libraries is extremely grateful for the time, dedication, and expertise of the negotiating team; and very thankful to UW faculty and administration for their contribution to this process.
For questions regarding Elsevier negotiations and alternative access review, please contact: SustainableScholarship@uw.edu.
Denise Pan
Senior Associate Dean for Collections & Strategic Partnerships