Database Fees FAQ
Q. How much will my library pay in
fees?
A. A long-term fee schedule for TexShare member libraries
has not yet been developed.
Libraries will be invoiced in August to help pay for database
subscriptions for the period of Jul. 1, 2004, through Jun.
30, 2005, based on the following interim fee schedule:
Group 1 = Academic and
Research Libraries (ARL)
$15,000
Group 2 = Population served over 1,000,000
(public); Over 750,000 volumes or over 10,000 enrollment (academic
- excluding ARL)
$13,000
Group 3 = Pop served 500,000 - 999,999
(public)
$11,000
Group 4 = Pop served 250,000 - 499,999
(public); 200,000-749,999 volumes or 5,001-9,999 enrollment
(academic)
$8,500
Group 5 = Pop served 100,000 - 249,999
(public); 100,000 - 199,999 volumes or 2,001 - 5,000 enrollment
(academic)
$6,500
Group 6 = Pop served 50,000 - 99,999
(public)
$4,500
Group 7 = Pop served 40,000 - 49,999
(public); Under 100,000 volumes and 2,000 or less enrollment
(academic); health science lib. & lib. of clinical medicine
$2,500
Group 8 = Pop served 25,000 - 39,9999
(public)
$1,000
Group 9 = Pop served 12,000 - 24,999
(public)
$500
The fee schedule is also available
via the TexShare Web site at http://www.texshare.edu/programs/academicdb/texsharefees.2004.html
Q. Why is this an interm schedule?
A. The Task Force on TexShare Database Fees wants to review
the following information in looking at a future fee structure:
- Per capita income/budget for both academic and public
libraries
- Population served and/or FTE number for both academic
and public libraries
- Effect of recent budget cuts in Texas State Library and
Archives Commission (TSLAC) programs that have traditionally
supported public libraries
Q. How was this fee schedule determined?
A. In January 2003, at the request of the Legislative Budget
Board, TSLAC took a survey of a random, stratified sample
of TexShare member libraries to help determine the amount
member libraries could be expected to pay in support of the
TexShare database program. (For survey results, see http://www.texshare.edu/programs/academicdb/feesurveyresults.html)
TexShare Advisory Board Chair Eva Poole appointed a task
force to craft a proposal for a fee schedule. Following is
the task force charge:
A Task Force on TexShare Fees is formed in order that the
TexShare consortium
- Insures the continuation of the crucial TexShare database
service.
- Insures that responsibility for and access to the TexShare
databases is appropriately shared among TexShare member
libraries.
The task force is charged with making recommendations
to the TexShare Advisory Board and the Texas State Library
and Archives Commission in response to the following questions:
- How much should TexShare member libraries be assessed
in fees for the TexShare database service if TSLAC is
appropriated the full amount of funding for that service
as set forth in its revised FY04-05 LAR?
- How much should TexShare member libraries be assessed
in fees for the TexShare database service if TSLAC is
not appropriated any of the general revenue - dedicated
(TIF) funds requested in the FY04-05 LAR?
- How should these assessments be shared among TexShare
member libraries of various types and sizes?
- What are the options for collecting fees?
The task force reviewed a great deal of information, including:
- Information on Academic and Public library collections
and expenditures
- List price of major databases by library type and size
- Database use statistics by library type
- TSLAC budget information
- Past history of database fees
- Recommendations of Task Force on Fees, FY2000
- Results of survey on fees
- Other states' multi-type database funding
Summaries of task force meetings were provided to the TexShare
membership using the TexShare electronic discussion lists
and Web site. (http://www.texshare.edu/programs/academicdb/taskforce.4.22.03.html,
http://www.texshare.edu/programs/academicdb/taskforce.5.05.03.html,
http://www.texshare.edu/programs/academicdb/taskforce.5.05.03.html,
http://www.texshare.edu/programs/academicdb/taskforce.7.07.03.html
http://www.texshare.edu/programs/academicdb/taskforce.10.08.03.html)
The task force developed a draft fee schedule, which was
sent to the membership for comment on June 14, 2003. The comments
that were received on this draft were compiled and shared
with the task force. At its subsequent meeting on July 7,
2003, the task force voted to amend the fee schedule slightly
and issue it as an interim schedule. A long-term schedule
would be generated after additional review and deliberation.
This recommendation was approved by the TexShare Advisory
Board at its July 9, 2003, meeting.
For a roster of members of the TexShare Task Force on Database
Fees, go to http://www.texshare.edu/programs/academicdb/feestaskforce.html.
For a roster of members of the TexShare Advisory Board, go
to http://www.texshare.edu/memberinfo/advisoryboard/advisory2002.html.
Q. When will there be a new, long-term
fee schedule?
A. A new, long-term schedule will be in place for fees to
be collected next year (invoices to go out in summer 2004).
Q. When will TSLAC invoice libraries?
When are payments due?
A. TSLAC will invoice libraries in late summer/early fall
2003. Every effort will be made to send invoices in August
to provide libraries with maximum budgetary flexibility. All
fee payments must be received by December 31, 2003, to allow
the Electronic Information Working Group to finalize the database
choices for the period July 1, 2004 - June 30, 2005.
Q. What if I can't afford the fee assessed
to me?
A. TSLAC hopes that libraries will explore as many options
as possible for funding to meet their fee assessments. Some
potential sources for funds include:
- Public library Loan Star Libraries grants
- Collection development money
- Money from Friends groups, donations, corporate sponsorships
However, if a library has explored all possible sources
of funding and still is unable to pay the fee assessed to
them, there will be an appeals process that may result in
a library receiving a lower fee assessment or a waiver of
the fee assessment for this year.
Q. What is the appeals process?
A. The process for appealing a fee amount has not yet been
established. We will include information on the process for
requesting a lower fee or fee waiver and the criteria for
being granted a waiver or lower fee at the time invoices are
issued.
Q. Why are academic libraries
assessed based on volumes owned in addition to enrollment?
A. Before TSLAC received a Telecommunications Infrastructure
Fund (TIF) grant to expand the database program, academic
libraries paid fees based on volumes and FTEs in accordance
with a tier structure that was recommended by the TexShare
advisory groups and formalized in administrative rule (13
TAC 8.3). At the time that this tier structure was established,
the combination of volumes and FTE count served to put libraries
that had small enrollments, but healthy income from tuition,
foundations, and other sources on equal footing with libraries
that had large enrollments, but limited funding. The task
force will review this structure in light of the current economy
in generating a long-term fee structure.
Q. How much revenue will be
generated by this fee schedule?
A. This fee schedule will generate almost $1.5 million.
Q. How does this compare with
other sources of revenue for TexShare databases?
A. This $1.5 million supplements the $3 million in state
funds from the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund assessment
and $1 million in federal LSTA funds that will go to the TexShare
database program in FY 2004.
Q. What databases will the fees
buy?
A. The collection of fees this fall does not impact the databases
currently available to TexShare member libraries. For the
current list of TexShare databases (subscriptions running
July 1, 2003 - June 30, 2004), please refer to http://www.texshare.edu/programs/academicdb/databases2004.html).
The combination of state money, federal money, and fees
will support the TexShare statewide core databases for the
subscription period of July 1, 2004, through June 30, 2005.
The Electronic Information Working Group will make recommendations
for next year's purchases. The working group has set the following
priorities:
EBSCO:
- Academic Search Premier
- Applied Science & Technology Abstracts* (all titles from
Applied Science & Technology Abstracts appear in other EBSCO
files; back files are not identical in coverage)
- Business Source Premier
- Computer Source: Consumer Edition
- Encyclopedia of Animals
- ERIC
- Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
- Health Source: Consumer Edition o Health Source: Nursing/Academic
Edition
- MaterFILE Premier
- MAS Ultra: School Edition
- Medline and MeSH
- Middle Search Plus
- Military Library Fulltext
- Newspaper Source
- Primary Search
- Professional Development Collection
- Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection
- Regional Business News
- Religion & Philosophy Collection
- Sociological Collection
- TopicSearch
GALE:
- InfoTrac Newspapers
- Biography and Genealogy Master Index
- Business and Company Resource Center
- Health Reference Center Academic
- Health and Wellness Resource Center
- Informe
- Literature Resource Center - LRC (Contemporary Authors,
Contemporary Literary Criticism Select, Dictionary of Literary
Biography)
- Student Resource Center - Gold
- Texas Almanac
- What Do I Read Next?
OCLC:
- OCLC ArticleFirst
- OCLC Electronic Collections Online (A&I)
- OCLC Union List of Periodicals
- OCLC PapersFirst
- OCLC ProceedingsFirst
- OCLC World Cat
- ERIC
- GPO Monthly Catalog
- MEDLINE
- World Almanac
Q. I need more information.
Who can I contact?
A. Contact Ann Mason, TexShare Coordinator, at texshare@tsl.state.tx.us
or 512-463-0188.
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