Caveat: As many of you already know, how much a library pays for a specific database comes after a negotiation between the library and database vendor. Libraries pay various amounts.
With that understood it’s still interesting and perhaps useful to get an at least an idea of what a database costs.
Purdue University Libraries (PUL), a member of the Association of Research Libraries, shares the dollar amounts for some databases in the “This Week’s Featured Database” post on the PUL website. The overview is provided by the Roland G. Parrish Library of Management & Economics at Purdue therefore many of the entries are about business research resources.
Each post includes a brief background about the featured database including superbly named sections on “Why you should know this database” and “How this will help students.”
At the bottom of each entry you’ll find spot a section titled, “Cost” and it also can include info about who is covering the cost (library only, specific departments, etc.)
Some posts featuring databases from the largest database providers or those made available as part of a statewide database package do not include cost data but an explanation or contact is included.
This Week’s Featured Database” began on December 9, 2012.
Kudos to PUL and the Parrish Library of Management & Economics for publicly sharing this info and putting it where students, faculty, and staff will have an opportunity to review it (aka making it as transparent as possible).
Here are a Few Examples of Entries With Cost Info
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