Q. Why does the Thompson Library no longer subscribe to a resource?

Because of the economic downturn resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, universities across Michigan and the United States have experienced large and sudden drops in revenue. The State of Michigan is also weathering a substantial decrease in tax revenue, so its ability to cover shortfalls in state university budgets has been severely curtailed. Unfortunately, this has made it necessary for libraries to consider budget cuts in many areas.

Many online database subscriptions are very expensive, costing thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars a year. Although we would like to keep all our online resources, we are in the process of making tough, even painful, decisions about what we can afford to keep, and what we cannot. Factors that we take into consideration regarding continuing or dropping a database include its cost, its amount of use, accreditation requirements for relevant departments, and whether its content duplicates that of other resources.

At the same time, we are working hard to maximize the usefulness, visibility, and accessibility of the online resources we have. Moreover, our partnership with the Ann Arbor campus has helped enormously, making resources  available that a campus our size would struggle to afford on its own.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact us at any time.