Managing without a subscription agent: The experience of doing it yourself

Abstract

In October 2015 Stockholm University Library (SUB) decided to no longer use the services of a subscription agent for managing individual journal subscriptions. Instead, SUB has taken a do-it-yourself (DIY) approach to subscriptions management and now renews and orders new journals directly from each publisher. In the light of two years of experience, this article discusses the key findings of this new way of working with subscriptions, the differences between the first and second year of renewing directly with publishers and the pros and cons of not using an agent. The article ends with a few recommendations and things for other libraries to consider before making the decision to do without a subscription agent and explains why SUB has decided to continue with the DIY approach.