Elsevier Negotiations Background

In September 2020, UT System Chancellor James Milliken directed all UT System schools to join the Texas Library Coalition for United Action (TLCUA) in order "to improve access to faculty research and to push for changes to the costly subscription models offered by publishers of academic journals." 

TLCUA's first task will be seeking a new state-wide deal with Elsevier, the world's largest academic publisher.

There are currently 42 Texas university members of the TLCUA, listed in the press release below.

The University of Texas System Joins TLCUA:
New Coalition Seeks Lower Costs and Greater Access to Research
 

September 16, 2020- The University of Texas System has joined the Texas Library Coalition for United Action (TLCUA) to rethink how university libraries collectively can improve access to faculty research and to push for changes to the costly subscription models offered by publishers of academic journals.

A total of 41 institutions in Texas have now joined the Coalition – including the 14 UT institutions – making it the largest and most diverse consortia of its kind and giving it significant negotiating power.

Beyond the high cost of subscriptions, which is becoming unsustainable for many academic institutions, the Coalition is advocating for increased author control of their own scholarship and for university libraries to increase the accessibility of scholarship produced by their own faculty members.

“While we are certainly concerned with ensuring access to scholarly materials and managing the related costs, the UT System’s highest commitment is to the quality and stewardship of the research enterprise at the 14 academic and health institutions,” said Chancellor James B. Milliken, who together with the presidents of all 14 UT institutions agreed to join the Coalition. “If there was ever a moment to reimagine how we engage with commercial publishers of research, this is it, when COVID-19 has disrupted so many of the traditional and previously unquestioned business and operational models for libraries, research and scholarship.”

The Coalition’s first order of business is negotiating a mutually beneficial contract with Elsevier, the world’s largest publisher of scholarly work, for journals accessed through its ScienceDirect platform. Now that the UT System has joined the Texas Library Coalition, the member institutions collectively represent an annual investment of more than $25 million in the ScienceDirect platform. The UT System accounts for just over $10 million of these subscriptions for 2020, though its total multi-year contract with Elsevier exceeds $50 million.  

Current members of TLCUA are:

• Angelo State University
• Baylor University
• Lamar University
• Prairie View A&M University
• Rice University
• Sam Houston State University
• Stephen F. Austin University
• Sul Ross State University
• Tarleton State University
• Texas A&M International University
• Texas A&M University (College Station)
• Texas A&M University-Central Texas
• Texas A&M University-Commerce
• Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
• Texas A&M University-Kingsville
• Texas A&M University-San Antonio
• Texas A&M University-Texarkana
• Texas State University
• Texas Tech University (Lubbock)
• Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso
• Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Lubbock
• The TMC Library
• The University of Texas at Arlington
• The University of Texas at Austin
• The University of Texas at Dallas
• The University of Texas at El Paso
• The University of Texas Permian Basin
• The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
• The University of Texas at San Antonio
• The University of Texas at Tyler
• The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
• The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
• The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
• The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
• The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
• The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler
• West Texas A&M University
• University of Dallas
• University of Houston
• University of Houston Clear Lake
• University of Houston Downtown

News Contact Information

Karen Adler: kadler@utsystem.edu • 512-499-4360 (direct) • 210-912-8055 (cell)